See You On The Battlefield
by ChloeRhiannonX
Summary: '"I saw the way you look at Stone. When he's winning you look like a proud father. When he's losing you look like you want damage anyone who brings harm to him." Courtney paused to look Duncan in the eye. "I have never seen anyone care so much about a robot before."' A partnership to last a season, a sport to last a lifetime. Courtney and Duncan form an unlikely bond of friendship.
1. Prologue

See You On The Battlefield

Prologue

Wide eyes stared down at the blue prints before her. Distantly she could hear her father rattling on to the engineers about what he expected to be done. He was a strong headed man, her father. She knew he expected every little detail he had worked out to be perfect. However, the more Courtney stared at the plans, the more holes she was finding in them.

"No, this is wrong," she finally spoke up. No one heard her. Her own father ignored her, too busy yelling at people to do things right. Mr. Beaumont was a busy man on a tight schedule. "Daddy, this robot will not work out!" She raised her young voice. "Daddy, if you give this robot a ninety synch then the right clambic night won't work. Right clambic night's only work with at least a sixty-four sync." All of the men in the room-the scientists, the engineers, the geniuses behind robot programming-stopped and turned to face the little girl who had seemingly out smarted them all. In a rush and a hurry to get this robot built in time for the league, they had made some minor mistakes.

Courtney looked up from the table with a triumphant smile. At least she had her fathers attention now.

The constructors and robot professionals all gathered around the table, knowing that a child as young as the one before them could not possibly have known what was right and what was wrong. But none of them knew Courtney Beaumont. She was smart and witty, beautiful and graceful. The apple of her fathers eye and the lucky charm he brought to work with him today. This young girl knew what she was talking about as she had stayed up late the previous night doing her research on the topic: robot building.

The meeting continued for several hours with Courtney making her own contributions to her fathers robot. If she was going to be sharing the title of 'pride and joy' in her fathers life, she wanted to be able to like her competition. Many of the scientists worked through all the loop holes, tightening up any loose ends they found. The engineers made sure everything was compatible, the robot could be built without a problem. The blue prints were remade several times and, at the end of the day, were sent off for constriction.

Mr. Beaumont was a wealthy man with a loving wife and perfect daughter. His estate covered just over half an acre, with an acre and a half for surrounding land. His grandfather had built the house with his own two hands almost 90 years before his grandson had taken it over as his own family home when his father had died. Being the only heir, Bradly Beaumont had inherited every dime his family owned, making him the third richest man in New America. His life was a walking fairy tale.

The family business was computing. All Courtney knew was that her great-grandfather had created a software system called ALICE. All electronic devices used the software and it landed the Beaumont family on the wealthy list. However, the current Mr. Beaumont had decided to find something useful to do, earn his own money instead of just accepting his rich heritage. So, as a long time fan of robot boxing, he had decided to take up the sport himself.

Instead of buying his own second-hand robot, Mr. Beaumont had insisted on hiring his own sophisticated team of professionals to create his own undefeatable robot. If he was going to do this, he was going to do this right.

Courtney, at the age of seven, could not understand her fathers need to do this. She was bright beyond her years, and watching robot boxing was a father-daughter pastime she had shared with her father for as long as she could remember, but as Mr. Beaumont told her of his plans, she couldn't grasp it. Not that Courtney admitted it out load. Oh no, her opinions were locked up tight in her head. Her father seemed happy with what he was doing and that made Courtney happy too.

It took eight months to complete, but on Courtney's eighth birthday, Con was ready. A sturdy bot built out of black sheet, a newly discovered metal that was impervious to all attacks that had come its way. The engineers were barely able to get their hands on enough to create the full-sized robot. But Mr. Beaumont pulled his puppet strings and everything had worked out for the design he wanted. What Mr. Beaumont wanted, Mr. Beaumont got. And what he had was a 200 pound robot that had cost him more money than he promised to spend, but he made sure it was worth it. Con stood for Conquerer. Whatever robot he was going to be put in the ring with he was going to conquer and earn back all the money the family had lost (though it had barely made a dent in the large inheritance) on building him.

The small child stood at the ring side, her father having warned her not to get too close or play with the ropes. Everything was automated and he didn't want his daughter messing up at his first league event.

Courtney watched the crowd around her. There was a loud buzz of excitement and nerves as not only was this the first match of the 2087 ATF winner league, but it was also the first time in almost sixty years that a newbie robot was set to fight a pro. Courtney noted that Maximus, Con's opponent for the night, had been boxing for 20 years. What was to happen next was brutal.

The pin dropped and everyone heard as these two robots swung at each other. Courtney knew the basics of right swing, left swing, jab, jab, jab. She wasn't a robot boxing fan, but it was her love of her father that had compelled her to be at his side at his first match. She watched eagerly from the control panel on the east corner of the ring, her eyes watching in anticipation as the fight continued on. Both robots were taking quite a beating from one another, both dishing out and receiving punches. But Maximus was tiring. You could see as his movements slowed that his power levels weren't going to last for much longer.

Watching the woman walk across the canvas with the 'Round 7' card made Courtney start to get jumpy. She was too excited to see who the winner was going to be already. Mr. Beaumont kept glancing nervously over his shoulder, trying to catch her eyes, but he didn't. Courtney's mind was fixed solely on the fight in front of her. She had never seen such a sight up close like this. The TV screen in the lounge room at home did not do robot boxing any justice. Watching the machines flinging their arms, ducking and diving, side-stepping and playing dirty, it was something that made her breath catch in her throat. But the gleam of pride shone in her fathers eyes as he watched his daughter fall dangerously for the sport showed only love.

"One, two, three," the referee began the count. The whole audience joined in, "four, fix, six," Courtney strained to see what was happening behind the tall figures of the engineers. "Seven, eight, nine, ten!" The bell sounded and so did Mr. Beaumont. Courtney was lifted off her feet and hung high in the air as her father continued to shout out cheers of joy. The eight-year-old caught a glimpse of Maximus lying face down in the canvas, Con standing over him like the champion he was. Against all the odds, he won. The rookie beat the pro and started his legacy at that moment in time.

Courtney stared deeply into her fathers eyes, her own face lighting up with a glorious grin. She knew-in that moment she knew-that this was what she wanted to do with her life. She could see her fathers fascination with robot boxing clearly now. The heart-pounding, blood-rushing, stomach-fluttering buzz that came with the sport was not one someone could forget so easily. This was what Courtney wanted to do. Robot boxing became her.

A/N: oh, wow...

We all read that, right? XD

I am quite proud of myself!

Another robot story!

But this time Duncan won't be the robot xD

But yes...another new story...

This is my fifth one in the works! It does mean I don't update other stories as quickly, but it does mean I do have something to write at all times xD

Oh, and Xander and I are also planning a collab fic too...MAKE THAT SIX!

ANYWAY!

I hope ya'll enjoyed the prologue, I have started the first chapter and it will hopefully be up soon (:

This is based off my current favourite film, Real Steel!

If you have not seen it, WATCH IT!

I am in love xD

and have had this story idea since the first time I watched it which seems like forever ago to me now...

I am not a huge boxing fan, but much like Courtney, it is something me and my daddy and Kevin watch together (: So sorry if I don't know much boxing terminology and/or the fights are very non-descriptive...

DUNCAN IS IN CHAPTER ONE!

YAY! DUNCAN!

And 10 house points to whoever can tell me where the name Beaumont comes from...

(It's been a Harry Potter day for me xD)

I actually wrote the whole prologue out on my iPad writing app and am writing this AN out on notes on my iPad also xD

...it's 1:16AM, give me a break...

Thanks for reading, please review (:

Love, Miss C. Rhiannon X

PS. In need if robot names, review with any suggestions :D


	2. Chapter 1

**See You on the Battlefield**

**Chapter One**

**~8 And A Half Years Later~**

Ouch. The electric shock raved through the young boy's body. It was only a little shock, the tips of his fingers from some crossed wires. It didn't slow him down on his job, though. Duncan needed to get Stone up and running again. He had been through so much; this robot was starting to fall apart in old age.

"Just like dad, huh, boy?" The teenager muttered to the piece of junk before him. Duncan had been working on Stone for most of the past twelve hours. The truck was a mess; he could have been cleaning it if this robot didn't need working on. _Who was he trying to kid?_ He wasn't going to clean his truck. As he half concentrated on his robot, Duncan counted up the supplies around him. Plenty of empty beer cans the kind he had stolen from nearby stores. There was a mini fridge full of junk-the kind that did not digest well-along with enough soda to drown his lungs if Stone did not win his next fight. Stone had to win his next fight, Duncan was not prepared if he lost. Everything was riding on this.

Pushing the back of the robots head shut with a slam, Duncan stepped back and took a look. The dents had been buffed out and so had most of the scratches. He still had some battle scars, but sometimes Duncan wouldn't want him any other way. He looked like an old, used bot-which, in reality, he was-but he was so much more than that. Stone was a fighter. An underworld fighter.

Once upon a time Stone had been a league fighter. But once upon a time was before Duncan. He hadn't been around to watch his grandfather fight the family robot in his hay day, but the stories his father had once told. Stone had beaten anything he came in contact with. No one stood a chance against this well-oiled machine. His small face would stare up at the ring, his wide, blue eyes full of awe. Duncan could always picture the look on his father's face as he stared up at his own father, just the way Duncan had once stared at the men in his family. The amazement, the excitement.

But that was all in the past, Duncan reminded himself. Nothing in the past but pain now. Forward was the only way to go and forward an underworld fight in ten minutes.

Kicking open the truck door, Duncan grabbed at the controller and steered the hunk of metal down the ramp. The only people around were the backstage crew. All of the robot boxing fans were in their seats, all awaiting the fight to begin. Duncan walked through the entrance doors. He owned the ground he stepped on. No one defied Duncan or stood up to him for being late. That was just the way things had always been. He had grown up in this place, everyone knew him. Everyone respected him. No one glanced his way, but one pair of eyes from across the hallway. The staircase, half hidden by the wall, stood the eyes. Duncan saw but did not acknowledge.

Stepping Stone into the ring was easy; he had done it many times over his life. The roaring crowd was more energetic than Duncan had ever seen, but with the opponent Stone was facing, it was no surprise. Fighter: named solely because that is exactly what he was. He was an old robot from before Duncan's times. Just like Stone he had been passed down through the generations and, now, here he was. Back in the days where both Stone and Fighter fought in league matches, they had some-what of a rivalry. This was their rematch after twenty years since their last fight. It had been called an even score of both winning forty-three matches against each other. That was an insane amount of fights for the same two robots, but everyone loved the competition these two brought to the ring. The underground make-shift arena was jam packed, with Duncan having to be careful not to step too far back from where he was stood. The barrier between him and the screaming fans wasn't a good one.

Duncan stared across at the current Fighter controller who stared up at his own robot with intense eyes. Harold McGrady. The McGrady family was known for their brains, and this idiot was no exception. He was the sort of person Duncan would pick on in High school-even though Harold was in his mid-twenties by now-and that only meant Duncan knew how to dominate the scrawny red-head. His robot, however, was another case. Fighter was clearly not the same robot he used to be, looking quite old and rusty, but he could still throw a punch. He was beating on Stone with force. Duncan was still trying to figure out a plan on how to win.

_Back step. Back step. Right hook. Left hook. Back step. _

Stone had been cornered, arms up to cover his face. Duncan was screaming profanities as Harold's smug grin dug him deep. Fighter kept punching. Harold commanded his bot to keep going, but that was not going to happen. As Stone kept receiving many beatings and the clock just ticking away, Fight raised his right arm for another round, but he froze. His arm was jammed. Harold set to work about unsticking his robot to continue his winning streak. But Harold didn't notice that the smug grin was now on Duncan's face as he lowered Stone's arms and got to work himself.

One up punch later and Fighter flew back. Another and another. Stone was pushing Fighter all the way back before the robot could register what was going on. It was his turn to be cornered now.

The fight continued until the bell rang. Both robots retreated to their corners and both robot owners slid onto the canvas. Stone was still in a good condition, Duncan noted. His circuitry wasn't damaged; all there were was a dent here and there around his torso area. Duncan stared down at the control pad in his hands and started programming some new sequences now that he had seen what his opponent could do.

However, on the opposite end of the ring, Harold was having no such luck. Fighter's arm was not budging. It had not been properly serviced and now it would not dislodge from the backwards position it was in. He couldn't continue this fight with only one arm, Stone already had the upper hand as it was. Harold saw no way of winning.

Duncan jumped back down, preparing for round two. He glanced over to his opponent who was in deep discussion with the referee. He could have easily heard their conversation if it wasn't for the roar of the crowd. These people were into their robot boxing. He searched the crowd for any familiar faces tonight, but just the usually. Some gave him a gruff look of acknowledgment others gave a curt wave of the hand. Duncan nodded in response, the smug grin if his plastered to his face. His other opponents were watching just how Stone worked these days. There were enough rumors that he had completely fallen apart after Duncan had failed to find him a fight in almost two months, but it was more Duncan having problems than his robot.

"Mr. Wilson." Duncan turned back at the sound of his name over the crowd. "Mr. Wilson, there's been a forfeit." That was all the poorly dressed man had said before disappearing through the crowd. And, sure enough, the referee was back on stage as Harold McGrady packed up his kit.

"Attention ladies and gentlemen!" The older man in stage called into his microphone, "FORFEIT!" There was more cheering and screaming and booing from behind Duncan, but this time his eyes were fixed on the damaged robot. They glistened with joy at the sight of the disjointed arm. Stone had won.

Duncan packed up the truck with a smile on his face that night. The fight hadn't lasted half as long as he had expected it to, but he stayed around afterwards for the fame game. Duncan wasn't world famous: he was underworld famous. Underworld was the dirty kind of robot boxing. Everything you watched in a league fight did not apply down here. There were no rules and all of the fighting was straight up. Not many people survived a place like this, but the Wilson family had been part of it for years. Stone was a well-known robot beneath the Earth.

Packing up the truck that night was the easiest thing that had happened all day. The smile never got wiped from Duncan's face. He was so proud of himself, so proud of Stone. He knew his dad and Gramps were proud of him too. It caught Duncan's eye, the picture of the four of them; Joe Wilson and his son Parker Wilson stood either side of a younger looking Stone. He had been around for quite a few years by that point, but not nearly as many as he was now. Sitting on Parker's shoulders was a young boy, no older than three. He shared the same unkempt black hair and uncanny blue eyes as his father and grandfather. Duncan was definitely a Wilson by blood and in mind.

"He's a real good fighter, huh?" Duncan turned to see a girl standing outside the door to his truck. He was used to seeing girls standing outside his precious truck, but none quite like this girl. She was dressed in a white blouse and black pencil skirt. A black biker's jacket thrown over her shoulder was the only evidence she had any business at an underworld fight. One hand kept a tight grip on the jacket while the other toyed with the end of her blonde braid. Her midnight eyes were staring right at Stone.

"The best underworld fighter you will ever find," Duncan replied, his voice dripping in arrogance. The girl didn't waver. Duncan studied her. She looked different from all other girls he had ever seen. She wasn't dressed in skimpy clothes and caked in make-up, hoping to get lucky with the richest man of the night. This girl was genuinely interested in robotics. Not his type for a one-nighter, but he would settle.

Moving forward, Duncan held his hand out to the girl and she took it. He pulled her up into the truck and instinctively she moved towards Stone. Duncan watched with fascination. "Duncan Wilson," he smugly grinned.

"Kelly Cole," she replied with little hesitation. Her tanned fingers moved swiftly over all the dents that Duncan was going to have to have buffed out again.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Miss Cole?" He took a seat on the work bench, watching this mysterious girl. Her jacket had dropped now, tucked under her arm so both her hands could run freely over the outside of the robot. She motioned towards the circuitry panel, asking for permission which was granted. Never had Duncan seen a female know what she was doing with a robot. He had seen girls fake it, but Kelly Cole was as experienced as he had seen someone so young be. The way she expertly moved the wires inside Stone's head around and the way she expertly checked his vitals in his chest. No one but a professional would know to do that. "Who are you?"

Kelly turned towards Duncan, movie-star smile in tow. He squinted back at her, still looking her up and down. She was about sixteen, seventeen years old-the same age as he was. Her knowledge was on par with his. That was not something Duncan came across very often, especially not in someone of his own age.

"My name is Kelly Cole; I am a part time robotics adviser. I noticed your robot fighting here quite a lot, I took an interest. Stone is quite...remarkable."

"KELLY! WHERE'VE YOU GOTTEN TO?" Duncan turned to face out the door; he could see another young blonde girl in the distance.

"I hope we do meet again, Mr. Wilson," Kelly smiled as she slung the jacket back over her shoulder. She jumped from the truck without any help, and headed off towards her friend. Leaving behind Duncan to think over their brief encounter.

A/N: I am so proud of this chapter...

And you don't hear me say that very often, trust me.

So, Miss Kelly Cole, huh? ;)

I hope ya'll are liking where this is going!

I don't know because my confidence got a bit snooker when I found out that 43 people read the prologue, but only one reviewed =\

I'm not mad or angry, just want to know where I stand with this story.

Is it good enough to continue?

I still can't look at Jason Gardner with hair...it's weird...

OKAY!

No more getting sidetracked...

I am gonna try and stay on track with my ANs from now on!

Thank you to;

acosta perez jose ramiro: haha, I'm glad you like it (: ooh, I like those names. I'll hold onto them, thank you (:

Well, thanks to everyone for reading at least (:

Love, Miss C. Rhiannon X


	3. Chapter 2

See You On The Battlefield

Chapter Two

Sun shone in through the dusty windows to Duncan's truck. Everything on the inside and out was a due a good clean. Wednesday morning and Duncan rolled onto his side, trying to catch those last few minutes of needed sleep before he had to get up.

"Whoever decoded teenagers need to get up before midday should rot in hell," the young boy muttered, staring at his robot from across the room. Week day morning brought only one thing with them; school. Though seventeen years old and able to drop out legally, Duncan never brought himself to do it. It would not have pleased his father or grandfather if he ever did something so foolish. They valued education, not money in the Wilson family. Or at least they had back in the days of the Wilson family. Now it was just Duncan and Stone, living in the back of a beat-up motoring truck that had long since seen its best days. The whole family had fallen apart a long time ago.

Hauling himself up, Duncan tried to remember what he was doing in a tired haze of movements. The quick knocking on the truck door reminded Duncan he had to move faster. Though he was often late for school, there were only so many detentions he needed. He had to make a living for himself being on his own, and he did that with robot boxing. He couldn't fight his robot of his delinquent ass was cooped up in detention.

Throwing a clean t-shirt over his head, Duncan unlatched the truck door. The ramp lowered down and another teenage bot joined him in. He was taller than Duncan, with dark skin and dark eyes. He had a white cap pulled down over his head and a fresh green t-shirt on over his head.

"Slept in again, I see?" DJ inquired. Duncan grunted. He wasn't in the mood for DJ's perky happiness this morning. Most people wondered how two people so different could be so close, but DJ and Duncan had grown up together. Through thick and thin they has stuck by each other, and there had been some pretty hard times. But no matter what, nothing had drawn them apart. DJ was one of the very few people that supported Duncan in his living habits.

The walk from the parking lot where Duncan kept his truck to the school gates wasn't that far. He'd drive to school, though, if he was sure he wouldn't get a ticket. If his truck got towed he lost everything. Duncan liked taking risks but some were too big, even for him.

"Okay, two words; Saturday night," Gwen's face lit up as she fell in beside Duncan just outside the main hallway. "And the plans are?"

"Work?" Duncan replied as if it was obvious. Gwen rolled her eyes, turning to DJ who just shrugged. "Where the hell have you been, anyway? Four days of school is cutting it pretty close, don't you think?" She knew he was just messing with her, but she still brought a pale white fist against his shoulder.

"I was sick, ask Liam." Gwen replied. She had known Duncan and DJ since kindergarten. They had always made her feel outcasted due to being a girl whose mom dressed in pink every day through elementary. But come middle school when she finally worked out a way to get around her mother, Gwen developed her gothic style. They became quick friends after that.

"You missed one of the best matches Stone has ever faced because you were sick?" Duncan asked, fake astonishment playing in his features. He took a seat behind Gwen and next to DJ, throwing his backpack under the desk. "Gwendolyn, I am appalled." Another shoulder punch. Duncan knew Gwen wouldn't have missed one of his fights without a food explanation. Like tonight. Stone was going back to the underworld arena to fight against Motor tonight. It was a last minute fight, thrown together Sunday morning when Duncan got a call from sleaze ball Chris McLean. He organised all the underworld fights and no one liked him doing so. But there was no way around his, he technically owned the underworld so everyone dealt with it.

Gwen stuck her tongue out, turning around to face the front of the room. DJ just shook his head at the two's antics. It had been like this since sixth grade. They were now juniors.

"So, what's this guys name, anyways?" But Gwen was off sketching in the corner of her notebook. She had a date tonight, which meant she was missing out on another fight. As she had attended so many, Duncan didn't mind so much. But he did enjoy looking over and seeing his best friends standing on the sidelines. It made him feel like there were others who supported him. Not a lot of people favoured Duncan's choice of life.

School was a drag, Duncan found himself wasting time trying to write out fighting plans until the end of the day. Duncan wasn't dong well in school, everyone knew that. The teachers had it down as 'family issues' and didn't bother Duncan with it too much. In reality, it was just because Duncan didn't want to be there, but he could get away with it.

By the time he got back to his truck and started fixing up Stone, all Duncan wanted to do was get this fight over with.

_He's a real good fighter, huh?_

Her words were playing in Duncan's mind ever since he had met Kelly Cole on Saturday night. It had been four days, but she has weasels her way into his head. Duncan had never met a teenage girl like her. Someone his own age who knew so much, it was impossible to him.

_I noticed your robot fighting here quite a lot, I took an interest._

Duncan wondered if she would be back at underworld tonight. If she had an interest in his robot he hoped she would be. Not that he was interested in her sexually, but because she intrigued him as much as Stone intrigued her.

_Stone is quite...remarkable._

Remarkable wasn't a word Duncan would use to describe Stone, but Miss Cole had a way of looking at him as if was just a machine. To Duncan, he was family. It was two different views on the world. Whoever this Kelly Cole girl was, she certainly was well educated and from a whole other world to Duncan. He ponders the thought of her possibly having her own robot at underworld, but he had never seen her there before. Duncan knew almost every robot controller there, which meant that she was either new (unlikely with her knowledge) or she didn't fight herself. She had said she was a 'part time robotics adviser', though Duncan didn't actually know what that was. It didn't sound like she was an up front fighter, more a behind the scenes helper. That was probably why she knew so much; she was working with robots. It wasn't too unusual to see women in robot boxing, though it was typically stereotyped as a mans sport.

Kelly Cole would not leave Duncan's mind the closer he got to underworld. Pulling up in the second parking lot, getting lost amongst all the other trucks. A lot of people spent a lot of time training their robots here using the rings during the day. Duncan used to use it, but he found it was easier to train a robot without the prying eyes of all your opponents.

Stone hadn't taken as bad a beating from Fighter as Duncan had thought, he hasn't needed to get fixed up. He was only left with three dents across his body, but they did not cause him any impairment when fighting, Duncan made sure he was in perfect working condition without spending too much money. It had worked out for him so far.

Looking around as he entered the arena, Duncan couldn't help but try and look inconspicuously to find Kelly. She wasn't anywhere in the main hallway, nor the waiting area Duncan decided to stay in while waiting for the fight to begin. He wasn't quite in the mood to wonder around, but he hung about in the doorway, trying to listen to the conversation going on in the room next to his. Someone's voice was raised, they were not happy.

Unexpectedly, the door swung open. Any other person would have ducked back into the waiting room, but Duncan stayed put with a smug grin in his face. A teenage girl, the side of her face covered with the fan of her caramel coloured hair, pulled the door behind her shut with a slam. Without even looking at her expression, her body language read one thing: pissed off. Duncan gave her a quick up and down. Tight black dress, three inch heels. This was a girl Duncan wanted to pursue.

"Rough night?" He smirked. The girl turned to him, her mouth half-open, as if about to state a witty remark. But she froze when her eyes when they reached Duncan. Duncan stared in minor shock, his insides grinning like a bobcat. Her appearance may have changed since Saturday, but there was no mistaking those midnight eyes for anyone else. "Hello, Miss Cole," Duncan said. "I love what you've done with your hair."

A/N: OOOOH!

It's getting gooood xD

Haha

Well, I hope ya'll think it's getting good now...

Any guesses on what's going on?

I'm pretty proud of how fast I'm updating this story. Just saying.

Thank you to;

SkorpionQueen012: Real Steel is an amazing movie! And I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far (: Thank you :D

ThatSuperHotSexyBookWorm: tsk, tsk...being a bad friend right there! ;) haha. PIZZA! I haven't had pizza in forever...it's a very sad truth...I'm quite fond of a Reyna and Annabeth friendship. Thanks :D

CourtneyRUles: I'm hoping to finish this story, not leave it abandoned (: I don't know, is she? ;) Thank you :D

You guys are awesome!

Thanks for reading, please review (:

Love, ChloeRhiannonX (yeah, changed my name back!)


	4. Chapter 3

**See You On The Battlefield**

**Chapter Three**

They stared at each other for a minute longer. The man who had his voice raised earlier had now quieted down. Kelly blinked a few times, adjusting her eyes to Duncan in the poorly lit back hallway. Yes, it was definitely him.

"Du-Mr. Wilson," Kelly breathed, clearing her throat and trying to regain her professionalism. "What are you doing here?"

"Stone had a last minute match," Duncan shrugged as if it was nothing. "But as you didn't know, I assume you're not here to see him." An eyebrow raised Duncan stared straight at the girl before him. She was definitely not the same girl he had met four nights ago; she had changed quite a bit, more than any normal person would in such a short space of time. "What's going on?"

Kelly didn't reply. She swallowed hard and prayed the floor would eat her up on the spot. No such luck. She was stuck in the awkward situation between making up a story or telling the truth. She had never told the truth before, so no need to start now.

Before she realised she had been gawking at Duncan for several minutes without saying a thing. He didn't seem too bothered, his eyes were set on her face, slightly squinted, and she knew that he recognized her for who she really was. _'There's a first time for everything,' _she told herself before formally sticking out her hand.

"Courtney Beaumont," she tried to smile. Duncan didn't take her hand and it fell limply back to her side. Suddenly she became aware of her short dress as her fingers brushed the material. Her cheeks burned slightly, but Duncan put it off to embarrassment.

"Do you often lie about your identity, Miss Beaumont?" Duncan asked, not taking two seconds to even get star struck over who he was now talking to. Kelly Cole was one person, but Courtney Beaumont was definitely not just a person.

"Yes," she honestly replied. "I am-" but the door swung open again and out stepped an older man. He glanced between the two teenagers, but then turned his full attention towards Courtney as if Duncan wasn't there at all. "How did it go?" The young girl asked innocently, though everyone in the corridor knew she was anything but innocent.

"We got the deal," he replied gruffly, clearly not happy about what had gone down. He pressed a kiss to Courtney's temples, muttering "Have fun with Bridgette tonight," before strutting down the corridor with more confidence than a sneaking fox. He didn't even give a look back.

"Bye, dad," Courtney effortlessly breathed, though her father was long gone.

Duncan and Courtney stood in awkward silence once again. It was hard for Duncan to find the words to speak anymore. Everything he had played over in his head since Saturday had been destroyed. Of course 'Kelly Cole' was the daughter of the richest man in robot boxing history. There was no way she could have possibly been as educated as she was if she wasn't raised around the sport in such an intense way.

And now, here he stood with one half of the most well-known father-daughter robot boxing team in the world, and he was acting like a pre-teen boy around his crush. Things had gone from awkward to just plain ridiculous in 0.6 seconds.

Duncan was glad when the call for Stone came over the intercom. Both teenagers lifted their head to state at the black boxes on the walls, the one with the voice that announced everything to people waiting for their robots to start fighting.

Without so much as nod of the head to Courtney, Duncan reentered the waiting room and picked up his controller. Stone sprung to life, but when Duncan went to walk him out the door, he found it blocked. Courtney Beaumont was stilling staring at him, this time from across the room. Her dark eyes penetrated his skull, looking for a weakness inside him. She couldn't find one-or, at least, hadn't found one yet.

"Let me ringside with you." It was not a question. It was an order. Duncan raised his eyebrow in response. He had never let anyone ringside with him, not since he was a boy and had once or twice stood ringside with his father. Duncan preferred to work alone. But this was Courtney Beaumont. Not just little-miss-rich-and-famous, but the girl who had been running circles around him for days. He still needed answers; maybe he would get some if he kept her close. Who knew when they would meet again if Courtney decided to pull a disappearing trick?

"Alright," he tried to shrug it off like it was no big deal, but Courtney could see right through him with her smoky eyes. They squinted at him, giving him the up and down like he had done to her previously. He wasn't much to look at in her eyes, but there was something about him that found she liked. He was different from the guys she usually kept company with.

"After you, Mr. Wilson," she moved out of the way as Duncan led Stone down the labyrinth of hallways. She trailed behind, her heeled shoes clip-clopping on the cold, tile floor. Everyone was staring at them as they walked, but neither stared back. This was something they had in common; they both knew what being famous in the robot boxing world was like. Of course, they came from two different ends of the spectrum. Duncan had always been an Underworld trainer, while Courtney had been brought up around league fights. But when it came down to it, there wasn't much of a difference.

Duncan took his position in the outer corner of the ring as he maneuvered Stone inside. Courtney stood by, a placid look on her face. Duncan resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her. She looked so high and might-which, in a way, she was. But Duncan was intolerable of snobs. They had no place in the Underworld.

Motor stood at the other end of the ring, the two robots in a show-down of sorts. He was a much larger robot that Stone was, probably weighing and costing twice as much. Duncan had never fought Motor before, but he had seen him fight. He was a fairly new bot, but his controller was experienced enough. Duncan hoped he remembered the counter-attacks for this particular sequence.

Of course, he did.

Every punch Motor threw Stone dodged. He ducked and dived, the two robots dancing with each other on the canvas. Duncan avoided the corners and stayed away from the fists. He was surviving, but barely. He needed to start dishing out more punches if he was to win, but Motor never gave up.

Courtney was silent, but Duncan didn't turn to look at her. Just blinking at the wrong moment could have cost Stone. He guessed she was watching the match intently, glad that she got to see it up front rather than from a seat in the middle of the roaring crowd. And they were roaring. Duncan was trying to feed off their energy to keep him going, but-

SLAM!

Stone went flying across the ring. He landed with a thud on his back. Duncan's fingers worked determinedly at the buttons on the controller in his hands. Courtney was whispering words, muttering things either to herself or to him, Duncan couldn't tell. Stone tried to get to his feet, but Motor came back with full speed.

"Stay down!" Courtney yelled at him, but he could barely hear her. "Keep him in the floor! Protect his head and chest! Stay down!" Duncan didn't have time to ask her if she had lost her mind, he was still trying to get Stone back up. But Motor struck again, keeping him down. He kept striking, over and over again, until Stone didn't move anymore.

Round eight and Stone was out for the count.

Duncan banged his fist against the side of the canvas in anger. Courtney rolled her eyes, exasperated with the teenage boy who was supposed to know what he was doing. She didn't like to be associated with people who lost fights. The crowd was most cheering, some booing. Most of them were fond of Stone, but in the love of the sport this was just entertainment for them. For Duncan, whose robot was still lying unconscious, this was what he did for a living. He survived from fighting a robot against other robots. Losing was not acceptable.

It took almost two hours, but the crowd finally dispersed. Duncan stayed in his position of standing at the side of the ring, just staring at his robot. He hadn't lost a fight this badly since he had been just a beginner. He couldn't bear to go check on Stone, to see the damage and see if he was fixable. Though, he didn't have to. Courtney proceeded to climb onto the canvas and move towards the unconscious robot. His head had finished leaking steam, but the metal was quite hot to touch. She had a hard time getting to the floor in her dress, but she managed to get down and crack open the control panel all at once. Duncan shut his eyes and refused to watch. He just kept thinking of how he let everyone down. He let his father and grandfather down.

"He still works," Courtney's voice floated into his mind. "I mean, his capacity meter got reset during those final blows, but it can either be set up again or you can buy a new preset one." Duncan slowly shook his head from side to side. "I can do it, if you want. Though this whole thing could have been avoided if you had just listened to me and stayed-"

"I had no reason to listen to you!" Duncan yelled, his eyes opening but not focusing. "You're not my partner! I don't even know you!" Courtney didn't reply. He had a fair argument against her. "Why are you here?" His words echoed the empty arena and his Icy blues turned to land on the girl who was willingly helping him without even being asked to do so. Duncan knew her type; manipulators. She was up to something. They were always up to something.

Courtney got, uneasily, to her feet. She left Stone's head open on the floor. She stared at Duncan from her spot on the canvas. Her eyes were slits and her heels were deadly as they made their way towards him. "I was trying to help," she explained breathlessly as she reached him. Duncan was still on the ground, causing her to tower over him. "I was just trying to help you win the fight."

"Why?"

"Because I can see how much winning means to you!"

"You don't-"

"I don't understand?" She asked, "Is that what you were going to say?" Duncan's silence was confirmation enough. "You know as much about me as I do about you. You're making snap judgments about me encase of things you read in tabloids or see on TV. You think you know who I am from rumors you hear on the street. Well, news flash for you, you know nothing about me!" She paused to take a breath, but Duncan didn't try to intercept her clearly ranting speech. "You don't see me judging you, or assuming I know about your life because you fight at Underworld and live in your truck! I did assume, however, that maybe you'd like just a little bit of help since I knew Motor was stronger than Stone! If you had listened to me and stayed down in the canvas, just covering his vitals, them eventually Motor would have slowed down. Then you could have stroked and maybe even have won. But no, you think you know better than me, just like every-fucking-one else in this run down old joint." Courtney stomped her foot in defiance and stormed off the canvas, the sound of her heels echoing as she left the arena.

A/N: Fast update!

And wow…Who saw THAT coming, huh?

I'm really excited about this story! It's definitely one of my favorites of mine!

And I really hope ya'll are enjoying it too!

And yes, here is Courtney…Ooooh!

I'm not gonna say my individual thanks…mainly because ya'll pretty much were just guessing what was going on XD Also my phone and iPad are nowhere to be near me….And I ain't getting up for nothing!

Though, you guys did all have some pretty good guesses…Obviously, Courtney is Kelly Cole. But why? None of you actually guessed it right, which doesn't surprise me in a way. But there were some good ideas there XD haha!

I love you all!

Thanks for reading, please review (:

Love, ChloeRhiannonX


	5. Chapter 4

See You On The Battlefield

Chapter Four

He found her outside. The night was warm with spring air but still nippy from the winter that hung around in March. She had found herself sitting on the abandoned swing set in the middle of the overgrown field. She had never been out there before, but the way her instincts had drawn her to this place was as if she had always known.

Duncan took the seat beside her. He knew about this place. Before Underworld, the building had been a rather large school. The swings belonged to the playground. That was decades before either Courtney or Duncan. But when he was a boy his father would push him on the merry-go-round. Duncan would squeal in delight. That was how he used to get high on life. Some days, when he wasn't doing so good, he would stop and hope to go back to that. When life was simple and he didn't have a care in the world.

Neither said a word to begin with. Courtney sat almost shivering, Duncan just staring at the dirt below his chucks. Neither was going to apologise, and honestly Duncan didn't quite know why he had followed her out. A few security and crew members had hoisted Stone onto a trolly and locked him in one of the workshops. Duncan would tend to him tomorrow, get started fixing his capacity meter. The dents would need to be buffered out by a professional, but-

"I was supposed to be meeting my friend," she mumbled. If the silence around them hadn't been so great he might not have heard. "I told her not to bother now, I'm just too..." She didn't have to finish, Duncan knew. "I've never lost a fight before."

"It wasn't your fight," he carefully reminded her. She didn't bite his head off. She knew it wasn't her fight. But being ringside and trying to help...it made her feel as if she had been the one who lost.

They were silent again. It wasn't awkward; it was questioning. They both wanted to know so much, but finding a place to start in this messed up acquaintanceship they had developed over the tally of an hour they had spent together.

"So, tell me about Kelly Cole," Duncan said. "I mean, just why?" He needn't explain, she knew. She had expected this sort of question if anyone was to have found out, but luckily no one had in the almost year she had been doing it for. "Is it because of your dad? Do you not want to be recognised?"

She shook her head, "Yes and no." She replied, tucking her hair behind her ear, allowing his eyes to wonder her delicate features in the clouded moonlight. "Yes, it is for my father. Yes, it is because I don't want to be recognised. But no, it isn't what you think."

"What do I think?"

"You think I don't like the limelight." That was what Duncan thought. "It's not true. Being centre of attention is something I have always loved." That was also true. "Kelly Cole exists so that people don't know me when I try to get to know their robots." Now Duncan was confused. He stared at her as if she had lost what little sanity he assumed she had left. Getting to know people: reasonable. Getting to know a robot: one way ticket to the crazy house.

Courtney sighed. No one would ever understand what it was like. Sure, she enjoyed being Kelly. Pretending to be someone you weren't was always fun. But the stares and the ass-grabs. Everyone thinking she was easy because she hung around Underworld. If they knew it was really Courtney Beaumont, daughter of the most famous man in robot boxing, they would keep their hands and comments to themselves.

"My father has Con." Courtney continued after a deep breath. "And, I love Con and so does he. But he also likes...other robots. Ones which aren't a personal design, but have such an amazing power without being designer." Duncan turned to look at the sky, exhaling as he tried to work out where this story was going. "He has me dress up as Kelly Cole and attend many Underworld fights. I get to pick out the best fighting robots I can find and pursue their owners. I find out about the robot, as much as I can, and then my father sweeps in and makes a deal. He buys robots and has people fight them for him before he sells them on for twice their worth."

"You can't have Stone." Duncan didn't hesitate to tell her. That was why she was so interested. That was why she was so keen to be around him. "I refuse to let you-"

"Quit it. I don't want him anymore." And Duncan found that just as offensive as what her father was doing.

"Why not?"

"Because you got him almost killed and then I went and just spilled my story to you." She replied with haste. "Were you not listening or does it just not mean anything to you?" Duncan was silent again, his eyes now looking straight at her. They were trained on Courtney's face, looking for a sign of, well, anything. Any indication of what she was thinking or how she was feeling because her words could not do her justice. She looked pained. "I saw the way you look at Stone. When he's winning you look like a proud father. When he's losing you look like you want to damage anyone who brings harm to him." Courtney paused to look Duncan in the eye. "I have never seen anyone care so much about a robot before."

Duncan didn't look back at her as he got to his feet and strolled away. He couldn't hear the clip-clapping of heels and wondered what she was going to do next. When he stopped at his truck, catching a glimpse of her as he reached for his keys, he noted she had taken her shoes off before following him. They stood staring at each other. He silently nodded his head and she moved to the passenger side of the cab. They both climbed in and Duncan moved into gear. He didn't have anywhere to be himself and would probably have ended up just leaving the truck in the Underworld parking lot as opposed to some random one in the middle of town. He wasn't planning on school tomorrow. But Courtney obviously needed to be somewhere. He assumed home which he knew was in the general direction away from the destitute part of town where they currently were.

"Take a left," she muttered every so often. Courtney was looking around the unkempt mess. Wrappers and empty cans had been discarded across the floor. There were cigarette butts and half eaten packs of chewing gun littering the cup holders. Across the bench there were magazines and a few stray jackets. Courtney felt uncomfortable sitting up front. More uncomfortable than when she had been in the back a few days ago. That was Duncan's personal space-he lived in there! Or at least it seemed he did. Duncan hadn't confirmed it yet.

"Just pull up here," the brunette said as she motioned towards a curb outside a pair of thick iron gates. Duncan did as instructed. The truck came to a halt and Courtney unbuckled her self, but made no attempt to leave. They sat in a more awkward silence now. "Thanks for the ride." She made an attempt to move, but stopped herself. Her eyebrows creased together and she sank back into her seat. Duncan raised an eyebrow at her. "I was thinking...are you fighting on Saturday?"

"If I can get Stone fixed up by then, I will be," Duncan replied with a shrug. He usually fought Saturday nights. If not the main events then the undercard matches.

"Will you be at Underworld tomorrow?"

"I have to fix up my robot," he stated as if it should have been obvious. Courtney nodded her head. "Is there a point to this?"

"I'll come with you." She stated. "After school, of course. As I assume you'll be spending the morning fixing his appearance, say 4:30 in the gym?"

"You don't have to-"

"I want to. I am a robotics advisor, after all." She added with an eye roll. "I can help you in ways you didn't know possible." Before Duncan could complain, Courtney was out of the truck and standing at the now opened gates. She gave a wave that screamed 'until tomorrow'.

A/N: Wowzers...

Anyone see that coming?

Haha!

Seriously, all of ya'll thought Courtney was doing it so she wouldn't be recognised because she's so famous, which in a way was actually right...But the extended version of why no one got!

Anyway, I love you guys, and I'm yet again too lazy to reply to reviews.

Just know that I appreciate them all and I really do love you!

Thanks for reading, please review (:

Love ChloeRhiannonX


	6. Chapter 5

**See You On The Battlefield**

**Chapter Five**

Duncan did spend all morning fixing up Stone's outer appearance. He did what he could himself, but spent most of his time bouncing from warehouses to garages; trying to find someone with a decent enough price to fix everything he couldn't do himself. Duncan was a controller, not an engineer.

By lunch Duncan finally settled on a small place just a few miles North from Underworld. It was a reasonably priced, family-run business, and Duncan had a soft spot for family-run businesses. It reminded him that nothing was stronger than blood, just like his own family.

Biting into his sandwich he found himself answering Gwen's texts as he sat against a far wall, waiting to Stone.

_'Where the fuck are you?'_

_'DJ said you lost.'_

_'Get to school! We should talk!'_

_'Answer me!'_

_'I just want to know you're okay.'_

_'Don't you wanna know bout my date? ;)'_

_'REPLY!'_

Duncan sighed, sending a half-hearted text explaining he was with Stone. It wasn't that he didn't care, he was just exhausted. He hadn't been able to sleep much the night before. Images of Courtney Beaumont danced in his head. She had caught him off guard in every aspect. It wasn't until hours later after they had said farewell did Duncan finally get star struck by her appearance in his life. Of course, he was still disgusted with what her father did with older robots; buying them off the innocent for cheap money was not something Duncan would ever find okay. But it was Courtney Beaumont. She was a highly ranked celebrity and she had...what had she done? She had sauntered into his career with one intention and then seemingly changed her mind about it all.

Duncan waited at the garage until almost four. He was desperate to get back to the arena on time, hoping Courtney would show up. She said she would, but that meant nothing. She probably had a busy schedule and there was no reason for her to even help an Underworld controller. Her life should have been much more glamorous.

Or at least Duncan thought it was glamorous until he entered a back room of Underworld and found Courtney Beaumont wearing sweats while pulling apart an old robot. She had one hand on a helmet resting beside a blowtorch, which worried Duncan to no avail. There was no way he was going to let her use that.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up," she spoke without looking up from her job. She now had both hands deep inside the robots skull, causing small sparks to erupt from around her wrists. "You get him fixed up?" She nodded her head in the direction of Stone, who Duncan only just remembered was there too. He pulled the controls from around his neck and walked his robot into the room, stopping him by a cleared work bench behind Courtney. She ceased what she was doing to get a good look at Stone. Duncan was cautious to let her do so, but Courtney new exactly what she was doing. He watched as she lowered the table and titled it with the control panel on the side. She used the straps to keep Stone in place as she lowered the table back to normal level. Courtney had obviously done this before.

"It looks like they did a good job on him," Courtney continued to talk to fill the silence. "Can barely tell her was so badly beat- no offence." Duncan didn't reply, he just watched intently as his female companion moved onto the table, swinging her right leg over Stone so she could straddle him, giving her easier access to his chest panels.

"I thought you were going to fix his capacity meter." Duncan stated, keeping his voice in a shallow monotone. He wasn't sure how far he could trust this girl.

"I am," Courtney replied with confidence. "But I just wanna take a look at his insides. Something tells me you missed out some things that I won't." It was said in a way that was spoke as 'I don't make mistakes', which got caught up inside Duncan. This girl had a bigger ego than he did, there was no mistaking that.

Courtney pulled at the wires inside Stone, not wanting Duncan to aid in any way. She was used to working alone on these kinds of projects. When her father had smaller bots brought in it was always Courtney who fixed their insides up. She had been doing this since she was nine, which was eight years' worth of experience under her belt. Of course, the bigger robots were just the same, but her father had never let her tinker with them. She wasn't even allowed near Con outside the ring; there were professionals for that.

Stone was classified as a bigger robot, being quite a name for himself in Underworld. Courtney had been almost instantly drawn to him when she had first heard his name. Now she could see that he did live up to his expectations. She had watched ten of his fights before contacting Duncan directly. That was her usual business plan. But, somehow, she had been sidetracked. What she was doing now was not expected of her. Her father didn't know where she was, he assumed she was with Bridgette. But she and Bridgette were ever together anymore. Courtney was too into her work and Bridgette was head over heels in love. Their worlds were slightly separating.

"Did you put his wiring in order?" The brunette asked, tucking a fallen piece of hair behind her ear. Duncan nodded, leaning over the bench to look inside with her. "These wires shouldn't be crossed like that," she pointed to a pair of blue and yellow striped wires, "it could damage the inside bolts. They should be hidden behind the mainframe, up there," she pointed to a small black box at the base of Stone's neck. "I can fix it, though, no need to panic. This bot is not going to fall apart yet."

Duncan still wasn't sure of what this girl was doing to Stone, but he trusted her as a robot expert, not as a human being. Courtney knew what she was doing when she picked up each individual tool; she had obviously trained for this. Duncan only knew what to do from what his father and grandfather had taught him, and neither of them had been professionals.

It took hours. The sun had long set outside when Courtney had finally moved onto fixing the capacity meter. For a normal person, it would have taken days to reprogram a robot. For Courtney Beaumont, it took half hour. She picked up the control from Duncan and instantly began typing in all of the information. She knew every cheat code known to man and had them all committed to memory. Stone was up and running before eleven.

Together, Courtney and Duncan walked to the practice gym. They took it in turn to move Stone around each piece of equipment. They had him fight punch bags and duck and dive from possible punches.

Duncan stared at Courtney in awe. Not only had she fixed his robot, but she also added a lot of new details. But then he remembered why she was doing this. Her father still wanted to buy his robot.

The blaring music erupted from Courtney's front pocket and she scrambled for it with shaking fingers. Duncan looked up from where he was stood behind Stone.

"Hi, daddy," Courtney forced the sweetness into her voice which made Duncan smirk. Her father would probably not approve of her being alone, after dark with a strange boy in a secluded area. Although, he did approve of her to dress like a prostitute in one of the most dangerous places in town. "I'm still with Bridgette, we were watching that new movie- yeah, the one with the haunted cabin. It was alright, I guess...we just sort of lost track of time. I'll stay here tonight; I'll be home after school tomorrow. Okay, bye." Courtney clicked her phone off and her eye bulged. "Now what am I supposed to fucking do?"

Duncan was still looking at her from across the gym. She heaved a sigh and started to walk back to the work room where she had left all of her belongings. Duncan followed with interest, leaving Stone unattended in the gym.

"What are you looking for?" He asked when he found her ruffling through a pristine looking backpack.

"I'm trying to see if I kept one of my father's credit cards in here so I can go pay for a Hotel for the nigh," she said through gritted teeth. Her head quickly snapped up in anger, obviously not having found a credit card. "Don't your parents wonder where you are?" Duncan's face remained impassive. He didn't answer the question, he just moved away to go fetch his robot. Courtney bit down on her lip, obviously saying something she shouldn't have. She didn't mean to upset him and followed his tracks back to the gym.

"You can stay with me, if you want," he muttered, collecting the discarded controls from the floor. "Least I can do after you fixed up Stone."

"You live in your truck?" She asked, making sure he confirmed it. It was obvious he did from the past two times she had been inside it, but assumptions weren't always correct, Courtney herself knew more about that than anyone else. The media was a trying place to be caught in.

It wasn't until an hour later when both teenagers had packed up their belongings and hurried to Duncan's truck, leaving Stone in an empty storage room, did Courtney realise just how severe Duncan's case was. He didn't just spend a few nights a week in his Truck for work; he lived in it as if it was his home.

"You can take the bed, if you want," Duncan said, pulling on a metal rod on the wall. Out came a fold-away bed. "Don't worry, the sheets are clean." Courtney nodded her head, looking around at his living space. It wasn't much to look at. There was the bed that retracted into the wall, along with a work bench which had been wiped clean of everything, the tools mostly littering the floor. There was a mini-fridge tucked away in the corner with a small stove-like appliance next to it. There wasn't much else but drawers and the windows. It wasn't very homely, but it looked lived in.

"Duncan, why do you live in your Truck?" Duncan was pulling a spare blanket out from the front seats on the vehicle for himself. He laid it with a pillow on the work bench, preparing for a bad night's sleep on top of it. It was his turn to heave a sigh.

"It's easier this way," was all he said. His tone implied this was the end of the conversation. Courtney didn't want to push any further, so she left it. Duncan didn't have anything to prove.

A/N: Sorry for the wait on this one.

I haven't had a lot of motivation for writing this past week, but I tried!

I am sort of happy and sad about the way this turned out...Sad because it's about 400 words shorter than what I wanted, happy because what I originally planned to happen in this chapter didn't happen, which means I get to save it for next chapter which mean AN EXTRA CHAPTER!

I feel bad for Duncan...And Courtney...Out comes the character sympathy!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

This may not have been super fluffy, but HEY! DxC all the same XD  
I may write a oneshot...

Thank you to;

ThatSuperHotSexyBookWorm: I'm so glad I was the one to get to pop your iPad review cherry XD haha, nothing wrong with that sentence...Food sounds good right about now! God damn it, now you got me all emotional...They are just falling in love over and over again...Thank you :D

acosta perez jose ramiro: Glad you like (: Thanks :D

. .Dagger08: Anything to restore the faith to the DxC fans! Not that I don't support DxG, because I love both couples...Bu there just is not enough DxC in the world anymore! haha, I wish I knew where these ideas came from, because my head is full of them! I also wish I had enough time to write them all...I hope that I will continue this story the whole way :D Aw, thanks...But the Total Drama fandom is dead, I've learnt to live with what few reviews I can gather...Thank you :D

Lover4DxC: I'm glad you like it (: Thanks :D

Keep the reviews coming, you guys! I love hearing from ya'll!

Thanks for reading, please review (:

Love, ChloeRhiannonX


	7. Chapter 6

**See You On The Battlefield**

**Chapter Six**

She was gone when he woke. Duncan blinked his eyes, momentarily forgetting she was ever there at all. The light through the dusty truck window showed she had made the bed and left without waking Duncan. There was no note, not that he should have suspected one.

Rubbing his face, Duncan rolled off the work bench and into the floor. He used his foot to kick the bed back into the wall, not having any use for it now. He took a look around, his blue eyes gazing over the emptiness that was his home. Not that Duncan was used to company, he was almost always on his own, but the truck felt empty after being with Courtney for so long last night.

Pulling his phone from the top shelf he saw he had three new messages. Two from Gwen, just asking for confirmation he would show up and school today, and one from an unknown number. Clicking it open he read, 'I didn't want to wake up, you look cute when you sleep ;) I had to get to school, can't be late. Thank you for letting me stay last night, see you Saturday? Courtney xx'

Without thinking, a small smile tugged at Duncan's lips.

* * *

"I promise," Gwen said, holding one hand in the air while the other rested in her heart. "That I will be at your match on Saturday. Main event or not, I swear that as your best friend I will be there for you." Duncan laughed, shaking his head at Gwen. She was determined to get back into her streak of attending his matches. "Now let me tell you about my date!"

"No."

* * *

Duncan ran a shaky hand through his hair. He had left Stone at Underworld for safe keeping. It was easier to have him charging in a spare room than in his truck. The teen boy tossed his phone into the air, skillfully catching it one handedly. Courtney had not contacted him since that first text. Though, Duncan hadn't actually replied to her, either. Saturday night was only 24 hours away. Surely Courtney wanted to work on some sort of plan; Duncan thought it seemed like something she would want to do. Courtney was obviously a planner. But no. No contact. Duncan didn't know why it bothered him so much.

Tossing and turning throughout the night was not unusual to Duncan. The sounds of the nearby highway were hard to sleep with. Horns beeping, engines revving, the occasional faint yell of 'asshole' drifting their way towards Duncan's truck that remained parked in the parking lot of Underworld.

Duncan felt almost lonely. It was the first time he had left Stone at Underworld for more than one night. He was so used to having the company of his only family member that he had forgotten how alone he truly was.

Sometime around 6AM, Duncan found himself driving towards Gwen's. Her mother would have already left for work and Gwen would no doubt still be in bed, so he let himself in with the spare key. Showering and dressing in clean clothes, Duncan snuck into his friend's bedroom. There was no shower in Duncan's truck; his only way to keep up hygiene was to use his friends' bathrooms. When he travelled he usually spent a little on a hotel room for the night, but it always made Duncan feel uncomfortable. His truck was his home, and been for almost three years. This was the way he chose to live.

"Gwenny, wake up," Duncan chimed in the Goth girl's ear. He gently shook her shoulder. "Gwen!"

"What?" Gwen snapped to attention in a sleep filled haze. She jolted into a sitting position and her drooping eyes scanned the room. Duncan was sat beside her on the bed. Knowing that he only came here to freshen up, she slammed her face back into the pillow. Her hair may have been sticking up at all ends and she looked different without the layers of make-up on her face, but Duncan had seen her during worse times. Gwen didn't really care if he saw her like this.

"You still coming to my match tonight?" Duncan questioned with eagerness. "It's not the main event, just a side match on the West wing." Gwen mumbled something incoherently into the mattress, but Duncan took it as a yes.

Rolling into bed beside his best friend, Duncan pulled out his phone once again. He started reading over the text from Courtney for the eightieth time since she had sent it, as Gwen's snores lightly filled the room. There was just something about it that made his stomach knot up. There was a wonky face and two kisses involved; what did that mean? Duncan had never looked deeply into the meaning behind girls' texts to him, they were attracted to him and that was all he cared about. Getting girls into bed was an easy task. But Courtney wasn't like that. She didn't care about getting into his pants, she cared about his robot. She cared about taking him away.

'I don't want him anymore.'

That was what she had said, but Duncan wasn't sure if that was the truth. Her father no doubt still wanted Stone. Stone was unique in everything he did. He had been a league fighter at the beginning of his time, designed by a now dead artist. Stone was one of a kind; no newer bot could ever live up to him. Duncan could easily see why anyone would be interested, but it was Duncan who was not interested and he wished people would start respecting that. Of course, the worried teenage boy was not going to address the situation to Courtney. He'd let her come to him.

And she did.

That evening, Gwen and Duncan hopped into the truck and drove to Underworld for Stone's fight. Duncan knew he had a lot to lose on this match. No doubt everyone had heard about his failed match on Wednesday; news travelled like a bullet in the Underworld community. Duncan knew he had to win this match.

As the pair entered the back room where Stone was stored, they found an almost sweating Courtney already working on him. She was dressed to impress that night: tight black dress, similar to the one she had worn before, with black wedges that gave her the boosted height she so desperately needed. It was a change from the sweatpants she had been sporting the last time Duncan had seen her.

"What are you doing?" He asked, tossing his keys onto the nearby table as he approached his robot. Gwen stopped in the doorway, not knowing who this girl thought she was.

"I thought I'd just exercise Stone out a bit, make sure nothing had fallen apart yet." She replied without a care, "I got bored while waiting for you." Courtney made a show of looking at the clock on the wall. "You're late."

Duncan rolled his eyes, leaning himself against the work bench. He watched Courtney with timid eyes as she continued to use the controller to make his do simple moves. There was no need to tire out had battery with heavier ones. Duncan noted that Courtney really was an expert. She hadn't used Stone properly before, only on Thursday night, but that was barely anything. This time she was holding the controls with confidence, knowing exactly what button did what. She must have studied a lot because Duncan the kind of robots her father fought did not have these kinds of controls; they were far too advanced bots for this kind of system.

Gwen gave a dry cough, hoping Duncan would remember her existence. She still didn't know who this girl was, but there was something about the way she thought she owned the room that made Gwen take an instant disliking.

"At least come in the room," Duncan smirked, sensing Gwen's uneasiness. Courtney gave the girl a quick up-and-down over her shoulder before returning to the robot. She decoded everything was in working order and handed the controls over to the rightful owner. "Gwen, this is Courtney Beaumont. Courtney, Gwen Simmons." The girls both gave a curt nod. "Court's been helping me with Stone this week," Duncan explained. "He got in a bad way after his last fight and Courtney here fixed him up." Gwen said nothing, just took a seat beside Duncan on the workbench.

"Is everything okay with him?" Duncan asked, nodding his head at Stone. Courtney bit her lower lip, moving her gaze from the two other teenagers and back to the robot she was supposed to be focusing on. She nodded her head. Everything seemed to be okay with Stone, as far as she could tell. Courtney didn't feel like cracking open his head or chest just minutes before his match, so there was no definite on how well Stone would perform in the ring tonight. "I guess we'd better get going, then." Duncan turned to his best friend. "DJ said he'd meet you at the seats. I'll catch you later, 'kay?"

"You owe me a ride home, anyway," Gwen replied as she loosely wrapped her arms around Duncan. He returned the gesture, not seeing the venomous looks the girls exchanged over his shoulder. The Goth girl disappeared from the room, leaving her heavy perfumed scent on Duncan's clothes.

Courtney didn't look at him. She simply took a few deep breaths and started towards the door. Duncan didn't see anything wrong, so he started moving Stone after her. Unlike league fights, there were no paparazzi photos to be published, no mad fans screaming as the robots walked from corridor to corridor, nearing the arena. It felt odd to Courtney, but she knew this world was different than the one she had grown up in. This was the way Duncan had grown up.

"Your girlfriend seems nice," she said in a deep monotone, her eyes not moving from the space in front of her as they continued their way to the ring.

Duncan was going to correct her, but there was something about the way Courtney held herself that Duncan found amusing. "Are you...jealous?" He asked with mock surprise. Courtney gave him a venomous stare. "I know it's hard to resist me, babe, but-"

"You disgust me." Courtney spat. "I'm only interested in your robot; not you." She snapped her head forward again, her demeanor unwavering. Duncan snickered to himself. No one was this interested in robots. Even Duncan knew to have fun with the opposite sex sometimes.

The two made it to the ringside without saying another word to each other. Duncan was smirking, Courtney was scowling, but they both managed to pull a poker face just as the crowd saw them coming. The audience went wild when Duncan stepped Stone into the arena. Courtney took her place at the outer corner of the ring, tugging on a strand of brunette hair. She looked nervous, Duncan noted as he jumped down beside her.

"Just for the record," Duncan spoke in her ear. "Gwen isn't my girlfriend." His eyes scanned the crowd for his friends, who he saw were talking back and forth. No doubt DJ had noticed who was stood ringside with him. It was a good thing his eyes weren't on Courtney, or he could have taken her sudden relief the wrong way.

Stryker-tonight's opponent-was bigger and sturdier than Stone. The odds did not look good. But Duncan wasn't cowering. He was determined to win this match, at any cost. Courtney was analyzing the robot, noting he was rusting around the edges, which was a sign he was decaying and not as strong as he appeared.

As soon as the bell rang and the blows started, Courtney's theory was proven to be correct. Stryker moved in slow motion compared to Stone. Courtney started yelling commands at Duncan; left, right-no, your other right! Duncan tried to keep up with the commands, but Courtney was steps ahead of him. Duncan had never entered a match with any sort of plan before, Courtney, however, didn't believe in not having a plan.

"Start listening to me, Duncan!" Courtney yelled over the eager crowd.

"I am!"

Courtney huffed. She did not like being on the sidelines, she preferred to be up front. When she fought at her father's side she could yell commands at the men he hired to control Con in the ring. Duncan, however, was under no obligation to listen to a word Courtney said. He was doing his best, but there was no way he was able to keep up.

Wiping the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand, Courtney stared up at Stone. He was doing well. Better than what he had in his previous fight, but nowhere near good enough to win. Every punch that was thrown, every dirty trick that was played, these two robots were evenly matched.

The end of round one bell rang and the crowd started screaming more obscurities. Duncan hopped onto the canvas propping Stone in the corner. He hadn't taken any bad beatings; he was in good enough shape to keep going. Courtney looked up, thinking the same thing. She bit her lip again, waiting for Duncan to join her on the floor before striking up conversation.

"Let me control him this round."

Duncan blinked.

Was Courtney demanding this from him?

"Duncan, I know what I'm doing," she almost pleaded. "You couldn't keep up with me, let me do this."

"Why should I?"

"Because you want to win, don't you?" Courtney was on the brink of yelling at Duncan. Did he really need her to spell it out for him? They were possibly going to lose if Courtney didn't take control. "Just for one round, you can have control after that, I promise!" The brunette looked at Duncan with guilt-tripping eyes. She wanted the chance to show him what she could do.

Hesitating for a moment, Duncan reluctantly handed over the control panel. Courtney slung the rope around her neck and held the panel in her hands. She instantly started programming her settings, knowing that she could win this thing and gain Duncan's trust. She knew he didn't want her too close to Stone because of Mr. Beaumont's offer; this was Courtney's chance to prove that she wasn't her father.

The round two bell rang and Stone danced. Swinging his fists before Stryker even stepped forward. Courtney was forcing moves from Stone that Duncan had never seen before. This was professional stuff.

Duncan screamed encouragement, but Courtney didn't need it. She knew what she was doing and she was doing it well. Stryker's controller did not know what had come his way. Stone was a fiery tornado of electronic limbs. He had Stryker on the mat before the thirty second mark was up. Duncan held his hands to face, his eyes bulging as Stryker tried to get back up, but his opponent had finished him. The rust on the robots body was stopping the proper movements of his limbs, Courtney noted, therefore he looked like a turtle on his back.

The bell rang and the referee announced the winner, the audience going wild. It wasn't a main event, but enough people had turned out. They all loved Stone: he was a local celebrity.

Courtney's grin lit up her face, turning to Duncan and handing him back full control of his robot. He smiled widely at her, accepting the controller and slinging it over his neck. Duncan's eyes darted through the crowd, spying Gwen and DJ jumping around on their feet. At least they had been here to witness the triumphant win; even if it was really Courtney who had won it for him.

By the time the crowd had disappeared and Stryker had been removed, Courtney had come down from her giddy highness and was casually leaning against the side of the canvas, scrolling through her phone. Duncan, tinkering on Stone behind her, still couldn't wipe the smile off his face. It only grew wider when Gwen came running through the back doors. She was so proud of Duncan and Stone. She was every time he won.

Gwen dived into Duncan's arms and he swung her around, promising to meet her out by the truck. She took his keys from his back pocket, not even bothering to acknowledge Courtney who was doing the same thing to her. The Goth girl practically skipped out of the room.

There was a lot of silence to follow; Duncan and Courtney were reverting to the awkward stage again. There wasn't much they could say to each other now, and Duncan most certainly wasn't going to thank Courtney for her help.

"I've been thinking," Courtney managed to say as Duncan locked Stone up at Underworld for the night. He had decided he would pick him up in the morning, save walking him all the way to the truck this late at night. "What are your plans this summer?"

"Summer?"

"Yes, summer, that month where the temperature gets just a little hotter and you no doubtedly go shirtless in an attempt to get girls to swoon over you." Courtney scoffed in reply while Duncan smirked. "So you have any plans?"

Duncan shrugged, "Just fighting every other night or so." That was all Duncan did during summer break. He could fight to his heart's content, working on Stone all day every day because he had no school to distract him. It gave him practice for when he graduated in a years' time. Duncan was going to go into fighting full time.

Courtney bit her lip, something, Duncan noted, she did when nervous. She had been doing it all night. Courtney wasn't someone who made light conversation; everything had a purpose. So Duncan knew she had a reason for wanting to know his summer plans, whatever they may be. He continued to look at her from across the room. She was standing with erect posture in the doorway. Courtney wasn't one to slouch. She did everything correctly, which made her stand out amongst the other attendees to Underworld. She was the only person here from the posh side of town.

"I think we should travel." It wasn't an opinion, it was a statement. Duncan raised his eyebrow. "You and I should travel this summer across New America. We can fight Stone and get some recognition across the country."

"We?"

"I want to be your partner." Another statement. "You have seen what I can do in and out of the ring. I have seen what you can do in and out of the ring. We've lost a match together; we've won a match together. We work well as a team-"

"That doesn't mean I'd be willing to actually become a team with you."

"Why not?" Courtney replied hastily.

"Because we are from two completely separate worlds here, Court," Duncan answered. He was right. Courtney's idea of traveling for the summer was completely different to his. Duncan, at most, would go to the next town over. Courtney was used to working on the opposite side of the world. She would travel through different continents, while Duncan had never left the province.

"It would only be for the summer. Just think about it." And with that, she left. At almost two AM, it was far past her curfew.

Duncan groaned inwardly, rubbing his face with his hand. His head was killing and Courtney Beaumont was still torturing his thoughts. All he wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep the rest of Sunday away. He managed to get back to his truck without falling over. Climbing into the driver's seat he found Gwen waiting on the passenger side of the bench. Her face was illuminated by her phone screen. Her feet were curled up under her, her head resting on the backrest as if it was a pillow.

"Enjoy the fight?" Duncan mumbled. He was too tired to even try a proper conversation. Gwen didn't reply. Duncan knew something was wrong. "Did I do something?"

"If you needed help with Stone you could have asked me."

"What?"

"You didn't have to ask Courtney Beaumont. I would have done it," she told him. "For free, too." Gwen locked her phone and the two were thrown into darkness. Duncan was still staring at his best friend in disbelief.

"Gwen," he sighed, running a hand through his now limp Mohawk. "I didn't ask Courtney to help me. She came to me one day and decided that she wanted to help me." Duncan purposely left out the part where he actually did need the help. "Besides, you were sick last week, remember?" Duncan started the engine, Gwen looked up at him. He was right.

A/N: Well then.

I realise it has been almost 4 weeks since I last updated this...But I hope this extra-long chapter makes up for it!  
I've been going through a rough patch with my writing recently due to my depression. Just bear with me and stay tuned because I refuse to give up!

You guys now see where this plot is going?

I WAS WONDERING!

Would you like to see part of Courtney's world in the next chapter? Or just stick to Duncan's? I wrote this in third person so that ya'll could have the choice on seeing opposite sides of the spectrum if you wanted to, or are you happy just with Duncan's? Do tell! I write for ya'll and want to know what you want to see!

Basically what's happened with my writing since last update:

I completed Of Cogs and Teenage Boys.

I wrote two Hunger Games oneshots; one for Valentine's day, one to try and write an extra-long oneshot.

I hope ya'll will check out everything!

Thank you to;

acosta perez jose ramiro: I'm glad you like this. I'm trying my best (: Thank you :D

ThatSuperHotSexyBookWorm: Our party was awesome XD Should do it again sometime (: Thanks :D

Love you guys!

Thanks for reading, please review (:

Love, ChloeRhiannonX


	8. Chapter 7

**See You On The Battlefield**

**Chapter Seven**

Courtney tried her best to sneak through the house without being caught. Her heels were in her hand, her phone turned off. She avoided the squeaky floor boards on the second floor as she headed towards the staircase. There was no way she could get caught. Courtney wasn't exactly a pro at sneaking in and out of her house as her father often let her stay out late as long as she had done her school work and was spending time at Underworld. But, at nearly three AM, Courtney couldn't be sure her father was so forgiving.

She was right.

"What time do you call this, Courtney?" Mr. Beaumont stood at the top of the staircase that led to the third floor. He was dressed in his night wear along with his personalised bathrobe. He had been staying up, waiting for his daughter to return home.

"I was working," Courtney replied with confidence. She wasn't lying to him. "I've been watching a match at Underworld and afterwards I stayed to talk to the owner." Courtney had been watching the match and she had talked to Duncan afterwards. She wouldn't lie to her father if she could help it, unlike a normal teenage girl, Courtney just left out parts of the truth. There was no need for her father to know that this wasn't a robot she was interested in buying or that she planned to start a partnership with the owner instead.

Mr. Beaumont stared sternly at his daughter, stepping aside and allowing her to leave for her bedroom. He would ask her about business in the morning, she looked out of sorts at the moment. Really she only had Duncan and Stone on her mind. Courtney did want to start a partnership with Duncan over the summer. She could afford to pay for the both of them to travel North America for three months after school got out, and she was willing to do it too. Courtney was at the point in her life where everyone was comparing her to her father, everyone knew her because of her father. She was a Beaumont, nothing was going to change that, but she wanted to be known for doing something for herself, not just as Bradley Beaumont's daughter.

Toying with her phone, Courtney wondered if Duncan was going to take her up on her offer. It was nearing four AM now and she was unable to even think of sleeping while she didn't know what Duncan was going to say. He seemed kind enough, but he also seemed cold. There was something there that made Courtney know that he found her untrustworthy. It wasn't just that she initially had wanted to buy his robot, there was something else that said that he just didn't let people in very often.

* * *

Gwen's words stuck in his head all night,

_'If you needed help with Stone you could have asked me.'_

Was Gwen serious? Could he have asked her for help if he had needed it? She was his best friend. He was supposed to be able to rely on her for all things, but Gwen didn't know anything about robotics. Duncan had tried one year to teach her, but she was a hopeless case. He couldn't help but wonder what she thought they could achieve together if she had been the one to help.

And then there was the overlapping of Courtney's voice,

_'You and I should travel this summer across New America.'_

Travel across New America with a girl he barely knew, where was the sense in that? Duncan wasn't prepared for Stone to have worldwide recognition again. That was a thing of the past for this robot. Stone didn't need to be travelling when he was quite happy at Underworld for the rest of his days. Duncan wasn't stupid, he knew Stone could only last for so long. As much as he feared parting with this old robot, he knew there would come a day when he would have to let him go.

Courtney was out of her mind-or was she? Stone wasn't going to last for very long, maybe it was useful if Duncan used having a robot to his advantage while it lasted. He needed all the money he could get. Whether it was to buy a new robot or to just keep himself going for as many years as he could, Duncan didn't know. He wasn't one to plan ahead.

Duncan tossed his phone into the air, catching it one handedly. He didn't know what he was waiting on. No one was going to call him now. Very few people ever did. If it wasn't Gwen asking for his whereabouts or Chris scheduling a match, no one had a reason to call.

It took hours for Duncan to fall asleep and even longer to wake up. If it wasn't was the vibrations coming from the floor he would have stayed in bed a few more hours. The sounds was pulsing through his body forcing him to at least open his eyes and see who was calling him.

_Courtney Beaumont._

The name flashed on the screen, no picture to match. Duncan made a note to mug shot her next time they were face-to-face. Which was going to be sooner than he thought.

"What?" Duncan droned, the sleep in his system being held responsible for his inability to open his mouth wide enough to speak properly.

"Well, good morning to you too," Courtney replied sarcastically. "Did I wake you? It's just, I was up late last night working on some techniques and I was wondering if I could use Stone to test them-"

"On a Sunday? Don't you ever rest?"

"Okay, fine." Courtney didn't try to argue her case, but Duncan didn't even notice.

"Don't you have other robots to practice on?"

"I guess I do." And the next thing Duncan knew all he could hear was the soft dial tone. She had hung up on him without a word, not that he particularly cared. He found it strange that she wanted to talk to him in the first place. They weren't exactly friends. They weren't even business partners. To him, Courtney was just a girl from a wealthy family who wanted to help him by helping herself, with plans of evil to buy his robot. Duncan couldn't see any other reason for her wanting to spend time together. She was interested in Stone, not him.

* * *

Courtney stared at her phone in disgust. What had she been thinking, calling him up like that? She tossed the cell aside, slipping on her shoes and heading downstairs for breakfast. It was late morning and she had been up for hours. With very little sleep last night, Courtney had woken up at six AM sharp and gone straight to work on new fighting techniques. She didn't feel her father would appreciate what she was doing, he didn't approve of her working so hard on fighting the robot herself; Mr. Beaumont had people to do that for him. So, instead, she had decided to call Duncan and see if he was interested.

It wasn't that Courtney wanted to spend time with Duncan himself, she didn't find him to be a terribly pleasant person- despite his random act of kindness the other night when he had let her stay in his truck. The only thing they had in common was their love of robots and fighting, but there was only so far that interest could go.

"Why were you at Underworld so late last night?" Mr. Beaumont huffed. "I didn't schedule you to work last night, and you left your disguise here; anyone could have seen you." Courtney could tell her father was annoyed by his tone, but she did detect a hint of curiosity hiding behind it. That meant she couldn't get away with simply apologising for her tardiness; he wanted an answer.

It wasn't that Courtney was ashamed of helping Duncan, she just thought her father wouldn't understand her intentions. This was new territory for her and she needed to be careful with what she was doing. Getting her father involved would mean she couldn't prove she was capable of doing things for herself.

"I hid in the back while watching the match, and then waited until everyone had cleared out before approaching the owner," I replied with an eye roll. "No one saw me, dad. I promise. Besides, I changed my mind. After thinking it through, he wasn't as good as I thought."

The dark eyes of her father stared across the room at her. Courtney wasn't afraid, rather more uncomfortable under his watchful gaze. She wondered if he knew she was lying. Courtney was a particularly good liar, but she was never sure if her father believed her or was just willing to accept the answer regardless. It was more likely the former. Mr. Beaumont was someone who liked to be in control of any situation.

He seemed to accept his daughters answer, allowing her to take a seat for breakfast. Courtney noted her mothers absence, though didn't think too much of it. She often missed meals. But without her presence there was an icy air about the dining room, with the staff not even coming in and out. They waited until the two were finished before starting to clear up.

Courtney wasn't exactly in friendly terms with her father. Con hasn't been fighting much recently and, without the matches, the two didn't have much to discuss- much like herself and Duncan. The brunette found herself looking for a way to escape halfway through her meal, and was almost relieved when a one of the maids came in to tell her they had heard her cellphone ringing.

With a quick 'excuse me' to her father, Courtney slipped from dining room and up the two flights of stairs to her bedroom. She'd loved having bedroom so high up when she was younger. It was perfect for her imaginary games. As she got older, however, Courtney found the trek to her room to be tiring, especially once she had already been on her feet all day.

Checking the caller ID, Courtney stopped dead in her tracks.

_Duncan. _

It took a few minutes, but Courtney decided the polite thing to do was call him back. It rang three times before he picked up.

"Hey there, Princess," he teased. Courtney rolled her eyes; was Stone worth what he was going to put her through? She took some deep breath, combing her wild hair through with her fingers as she tried fight the urge he gave her to throw her phone at the wall.

"You called?" Courtney replied keeping her voice monotone. She had hung up on him earlier, and she wouldn't hesitate to do it again.

"I think we need to talk about your...offer." Courtney could hear the uneasiness. This was quite out of character for Duncan. He obviously wasn't referring to using Stone to show off new techniques.

Courtney nodded her head before realising he couldn't see her. "Sure, okay." Suddenly her stomach clenched up and she felt the nerves overcome her. This was it. She hadn't expected him to make up his mind so soon. But this was what she wanted. Courtney had made the offer in the first place, but somewhere in the back of her mind she had been secretly hoping he would decline. She wasn't scared. Courtney wasn't afraid of anything. But she was worried. Worried what her parents would think, what her friends would think.

"Are you still there?"

"Y-Yeah," Courtney shakily answered. "We should meet up later today."

"Or now."

"Or now," she repeated. "Now is good too." Courtney didn't understand why she was nervous to talk to Duncan. They had talked plenty of times before, this was no different. Maybe it was that this time he was coming to her. All of their last meetings had been on her terms while he was working. This was much more casual.

"Muskoka cafe. One hour." Duncan sounded more demanding than scared as he hung up. Courtney thought he was going to 'put her in her place', so to speak.

Glancing at the clock, there was no time to get ready. Muskoka cafe was on the other side of the city, almost an hours drive away. Courtney did sometimes wish she lived closer the to city centre. Courtney lives on the posher outskirts of Muskoka, and had all her life. She was used to having the long drive, just wished it was shorter. Though, it did give her time to think.

What was Duncan going to say? Was he going to accept the agreement? Was he going to laugh in her face? Would he think she was insane for even thinking of travelling the country with a stranger? Because they were just that; strangers. They didn't know each other. They hadn't known each other very long, either. Their work so far had been strictly professional and nothing else.

The worries were building up inside Courtney, even more so as she saw Duncan's truck parked down the street reality caught up. She pulled to the curb and her breathing grew heavy. This was real. This was her idea. 'I can do this,' she told herself over and over again, not letting the notion escape her mind. There was no need to be anxious about this situation, they were just going to talk over their options.

The ding above the door alerted Duncan that someone had walked in and, finally, it was the right person. He had been waiting for her to show up for ten minutes, even though they were both early. Courtney spotted him instantly. There was only one person in Muskoka with hair as bright as Duncan's. she strolled over to his table and took. Seat. He noted this was the first time he had seen her in a casual setting, wearing green capri's and a white shirt; while Courtney noted Duncan hadn't changed his shirt from yesterday.

"Listen, Court-"

"Let me start," Courtney cut across. Duncan waved his hand, grunting lowly. "I just want you to know that no matter how stupid my offer was last night, I stand by it. I want to travel New America fighting a robot, it's something which is personal for me. Whether that be with you this summer or with someone else next summer, it's a personal quest." She paused to grip her bearings. "I fell in love the very first time I saw you fight Stone. I have never seen a robot so...unique and so incredible before. So, no matter what you decide to do, I appreciate you letting me at least help you with Stone."

Duncan stared at Courtney with an expression she couldn't place. She tried to prompt him to talk, but he didn't for a while. Finally, "I was just going to offer you half the winnings from last night, but..." Courtney's cheeks flared up. There was no way for her to hide the embarrassing blush from Duncan. She opened her mouth to speak, but ended up looking like a guppy. There were no words. Duncan's lips curved into a half-smile, half-smirk. "Kidding." And before he could react Courtney had already reached over the table and slapped his upper arm. He started laughing at Courtney's cute scowl. Her nose scrunched up and the seven little freckles stood out against her red cheeks.

"Well, not kidding about the money," Duncan continued after he'd calmed down a bit. "You deserve half of it. But we do need to discuss your outrageous offer too."

"You can keep the money," Courtney replied in a small voice that wasn't her own. "I didn't do it for the money." And you need it more than me, she added in her head.

"Listen, Courtney," Duncan began again. "Travelling with you is a big deal. I don't travel. The most I travelled was to Studio town about twenty miles east and that was only for one fight." Courtney nodded, Duncan swallowed. "So trust me when I say I'm not making this decision lightly," he sighed. "But yes, I will travel New America with you this summer."

* * *

A/N: Eeep!

What is going to happen next?

This chapter probably should have been longer, but oh well...

It did take a bit of time to write this chapter because I was busy finished up Girl On The Move and it was my birthday on Tuesday, and I took some days off for that XD

BUT! From now on, this is my only story that I am uploading, so I'm pretty happy and focused on this! I'm trying to work on more oneshots than stpries right now, so keep that in mind (:

Thank you to;

acosta perez jose ramiro: I thought it would be a very Courtney thing to do; take control of the robot to win. Thank you :D

Kuta: A little bit from Courtney's perspecive it is ;) haha! I'm glad you're enjoying it :D Thanks :D

ThatSuperHotSexyBookWorm: I told you you'd love it! And that is a shame about all that...Thank you :D

I am so freaking tired right now!

And kinda POed because I'm trying to watch Glee but the website is down :(

Thanks for reading, please review (:

Thank you to me ever so amazing beta Maddi aka ThatSuperHotSexyBookWorm.

Love, ChloeRhiannonX


	9. Chapter 8

See You On the Battlefield

chapter eight

It wasn't that Courtney was scared to tell her father, it was that she was scared of his reaction. He could easily dismay this childish fantasy of her and refuse to let her go. That was what she was afraid of. She had finally worked up the courage to ask Duncan and he had actually agreed-but now she had to ask her father. This was the real problem.

It was late afternoon and the New America sun was setting lower. Mr. Beaumont was out in the garden talking on his phone. Courtney assumed it was one of his employees or acquaintances, so she knew better to interrupt. Instead she took a seat at the iron patio set and tried to think of anything but the situation. Courtney was prone to over thinking and losing her nerve.

Her thoughts drifted to Stone and his owner. Duncan had invited Courtney to his match later that night, it might be his last one before they leave-if they leave. Courtney had agreed, adding that she would let him have full control this time. Duncan had been grateful for that. Though he had thanked her for helping him win, Duncan wasn't fond of letting other people have use of Stone. He was very protective over him, almost as if the robot was a younger brother-which, to Duncan, he sort of was, or so Courtney guessed. She saw the bind the two had. She had never seen someone so close to their robot before. To most people-her father included-robots were just a way to get money easily. Duncan treated Stone as if he was family. Always with love and care, even though he treated everyone else with bitterness.

"Courtney, darling, what a surprise," Mr. Beaumont smiled at his daughter as he approached her. At least he's in a good mood, Courtney thought. "What do I owe the pleasure of your company on this fine day?" She straightened up in her seat, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. This was it. Now or never.

"We'll, daddy," she began. Courtney had practiced the speech in front of the mirror, turning it into a mantra in her mind as went about her day. "Remember how you were saying that I should make some summer plans?" She paused to look at her father and not the floor. He was staring intently at her. This only encouraged the nerves making Courtney's gaze flutter to the floor again. "And I said that I wanted to try and find my own way in the world of robot boxing. So, I've been spending a lot of time at Underworld recently not only to help you find new robots, but to find a partner to help me."

"And did you find one?"

"Yes, I did. A few weeks ago I spotted a robot names Stone who won all his matches and he seemed to do it with ease. I figured that was the sort of robot I wanted to work with, so I started talking to his owner who happens to be a boy around my age. We started talking robotics and he was interested in forming a partnership with me."

"That's great news." Mr. Beaumont clapped his hands together. "I wish you would have gone for league bot partner, but at least you found one on your own. That's my girl. I'm so proud of you." This was not the reaction Courtney had been expecting, especially since she was sure her father could see through the small lie she placed in her story. "I think this calls for a celebration!"

"Actually, daddy, that's not all." This was what Courtney had been dreading. She could feel her stomach folding in in itself as the seconds ticked passed. Her father motioned for her to keep talking, but she wasn't sure she remembered how to. "Well...uh, you see-" Courtney took a deep breath. "Duncan, my partner, and I have decoded that while boxing at Underworld is great, we want some recognition for ourselves and for Stone. So, we were hoping to travel this summer across New America to fight."

The atmosphere was silent around the two of them, encasing Courtney in all of her worries and doubts. She knew when he father was out of words things weren't going well. This was a man who always knew what to say, even more so when it came to the matter of robot boxing.

"You want to travel across New America with a stranger to fight a robot you don't even know will survive?" When he put it like that it did sound like a crazy idea. But it was what Courtney wanted to do with her last summer before senior year. She knew everything was going to change once she became a senior and he only focus would be on school work and graduating. After that was college and Courtney didn't know when she would get to properly fight a robot in matches again.

"This is what I want to do."

Her father silent for a long time again. Courtney started to internally panic, but refused to show it on the outside. If she looked calm and collect she believed she had a better chance of winning over her father. She was determined to do this now. She had everything planned out in her head.

"I want to meet this boy," her father finally spoke. "And I want to see this robot fight. I won't have you wasting your time on any old robot, Courtney. This is now a game, this is a war." Mr. Beaumont's eyes were alive with an emotion Courtney couldn't place. He looked anxious yet excited, angry yet proud. Courtney could only hope the pride was aimed at her.

"Yes, daddy, of course," Courtney squeaked. Her own excitement was getting harder to control. "There's a match tonight, you can meet Duncan then."

Duncan rubbed his neck awkwardly. He stared up at his robot, looking him deep in the eyes. Sighing, he tossed the controller onto the counter. He was getting no where with Stone.

"Okay, listen here, old boy," Duncan spoke with frustrated and tiredness. "You have got to pull yourself together! Now is no time to start showing your age. You have a lot riding on your shoulders over these next few months and I can't have you screwing up." There was a soft giggling from the doorway. Duncan swung his head around to spot his new partner.

"You know you're talking to a robot, right?" Courtney asked swinging her hair over shoulder. There was a big smile on her face, but her expression was pained.

"Better than talking to people most of the time," Duncan shrugged in response, a grin wiggling its way onto his face. Courtney watched him as he grabbed the controller back. There was something in his actions that showed his careful side when it came to robots. He wasn't rough or heavy handed like Courtney had seen him move around his truck and the Underworld gym. Duncan didn't want to harm Stone, not even his control panel had a scratch on it. "He's got a click in his shoulder, will you look at it?"

Courtney nodded. She stepped into the same room she had been in a few times before, but she still felt like a stranger to its grubbiness. Courtney was used to pristine rooms that looked like they had been taken right out of a hospital. All white, no dirt. Underworld was definitely something else.

She was trying to distract herself as she laid Stone down in the table. There was still an hour before the match; Courtney had wanted to turn up early to help prepare with Duncan. They had done it a few times now, but she was determined to get used to doing it. Courtney was used to working alone.

"His wiring has come loose," she told Duncan. "Probably happened at the last match and just been gradually getting worse." Courtney heaved a sigh. "It's fixable." Duncan scanned the young girls face. She was definitely not in a good mood. But if there was one thing his father taught him, it was to never cross an angry woman.

"I'll just-" he motioned his thumbs over his shoulder, but Courtney cut him short.

"My dad is coming here tonight to meet you and watch Stone fight."

Duncan blinked once. And then again. There was a long silence where the two teenagers stared across the room at each other. Courtney bit her lip, knowing she had rushed her sentence. Finally he blinked for a third time.

"Umm," Duncan swallowed, "okay." His eyes focused on Stone, his mind was racing as he pieced together her last sentence. "Uh-What?"

Courtney panicked. Her eyes couldn't focus on anything and her greasy hands were wringing together under the bench. She wanted badly to start playing with her hair, tugging in the ends always calmed her down, but her hands were coated in oil and her appearance meant everything.

Duncan was also internally panicking. Bradley Beaumont was coming to meet him? The Bradley Beaumont. The man who put robot boxing on the map was coming to meet and judge him. There was no reason for him to not freak out. Especially is he was going to impress him enough to earn his trust. This is what was going on; the older man wanted Duncan's trust to take care of his daughter. It was a fatherly gesture Duncan was aware of.

"I shouldn't have said that." Courtney quickly said, digging her hands back into Stone's shoulder. She was grabbing at tools and using them carefully as she shook her head back and fore. Duncan noted the way her hair curtained around her face, hiding her from further embarrassment under his eyes.

"Uh, yeah," Duncan agreed. "You probably shouldn't have."

"But I'm stressed!" She yelled dropping the wrench to the floor with a clank. "I am freaking the fuck out because what if he doesn't like you? What if he decides you're an asshat and refuses to let us travel together? What if we can't fight Stone together? What if I become a failure under his eyes and-"

"Hey, stop that!" Duncan snapped. He rushed to Courtney's side, his hands at her shoulders giving her a gentle shake. "It'll be fine."

There was a sharp knock at the door. Both turned to see who had disturbed them. Upon spying the rounded face of Courtney's father. Duncan swiftly released her from his grip. Courtney plastered a huge smile on her face, a faker one than when she had first arrived. Duncan tried his best to look confident. It wasn't quite working.

"Am I interrupting?" He asked, his deep voice almost bellowing across the empty room. Courtney cleared her throat and Duncan blew a hard puff of hair through his nose.

"Just fixing up Stone's arm, daddy," Courtney replied as if her voice was coated in sugar. Duncan had only ever heard her use that sickly sweet tone with her father. Her real voice was much harsher than that. The brunette wiped her hands on a nearby cloth and walked towards her father, Duncan on her trail. They both stopped just short of the door. "Daddy, this is Duncan Wilson, Duncan, this is my father, Bradley Beaumont."

"Pleasure," Mr. Beaumont announced, reaching his hand out to Duncan's already extended one. Both men held on firmly giving a brief shake. Mr. Beaumont kept staring down Duncan, peering deeply into his eyes as if he knew a secret that he wasn't prepared to share. Duncan gave a low nod of his head, releasing his hand from the iron grip of the older man. "I do believe we met briefly before."

"Yes, sir," Duncan replied. "Briefly. Last week, I think." He tried to push the fact that this man wanted to buy Stone to the back of his mind. He was trying to act as if he was just meeting another friends parent. As if he was meeting Gwen's mother for the first time-even if he did 't particularly want to relive that embarrassing day again.

Mr. Beaumont never let his eyes wander from Duncan. He checked every crook of the boys appearance and Duncan was sure that was not a good sign; no adult had liked his punk look before. The bright green hair and the multiple facial piercing a were always a let down to those who judged all too quickly.

Courtney was rocking on her toes, fighting her own body to keep still. Her eyes were darting between the two most important men in her life at that moment before settling on her father when he began to speak again. "Wilson, you say?"

"Yes, sir."

"Related to Parker?"

"Yes, sir." Duncan answered bluntly. "My father. Taught me everything I know." It caught Courtney's attention that she had never heard Duncan mentioned anything about his family life before. It caught her off guard that her own father would know so,etching before she did. Not that she knew who Parker Wilson was. Her fater nodded his head, however, continuing to talk, "Good man." He mumbled, which was definitely out of the ordinary for him.

There was an awkward silence as both men fell out of words. Courtney stood between them, glad that no blood had been shed. Even if no words were being shared it was better than nothing. This could have gone a lot worse.

"You were fixing the robot?" Mr. Beaumont questioned his daughter.

"Uh, yes," Courtney smiled, hurrying back over to Stone who still laid on the table. Duncan backed up a little and the older man followed his daughter over to the table. "Just some loose wiring, nothing complicated. I've sorted most of it, just need to pop his arm back in and he can be on his way."

"Always been handy with her tools, this one," Mr. Beaumont smiled fondly at her daughter, who rolled her eyes in response. Duncan have a small laugh. Courtney was definitely more handy than he was. She knew the ins and outs that could only be acquired from years of training and studying, not just on-the-job experience which Duncan had.

Courtney glanced sideways at the young boy. She hadn't seen him quite so at ease before without winning a match and wondered how much of it was all for the show. She admired the way he let her work on Stone. She couldn't imagine him letting many people get this close to him. Duncan definitely trusted her, which she found quite strange. But all she could do was hope that her father trusted him the way Duncan trusted her; with that one precious thing.

The match went well. That was all Courtney could say. Duncan won. She had been standing there ringside with him, barking commands that he couldn't quite keep up with. But they had won. Mr. Beaumont had been standing as far away as possible, back at the top of the stands so no one could see him.

The three were standing in the now empty arena. The screaming crowd had separated and Duncan had happily signed a few autographs for the ladies. Courtney rolled her eyes, keeping her distance between Duncan and his fans. Her father had luckily been on the phone and not seen the heavily made up girls swooning over her partner. She had no idea what he would have thought if he had witnessed it.

"Well, Mr. Wilson, I have to say, you're not a bad fighter," Courtney's father bowed his head. The fight had gone fairly well. The opponent was weak, which did give them the advantage they needed to impress Mr. Beaumont. "You're definitely your fathers son."

Duncan inclined his head, mumbling a quick, "Thank you, sir." Courtney couldn't tell, but she was sure this was embarrassment. She broke out in a smile.

"As long as you can promise to take good care of my daughter," Mr Beaumont began. "You can tour New America with her." Courtney let out a squeal of delight, jumping and wrapping her arms around her fathers neck in thanks. This was the big break she had been waiting for.

A/N: I am making this as quick as fucking possible!

The ending is rushed and I will tell you why...

I JUST GOT LIGHT!

AND IT IS SIGNED BY MICHAEL GRANT HIMSELF!

I promised myself I would read it once I finished this chapter and AHHHH!

I CAN READ IT NOW!

Sorry for no replied today but I want ya'll to know I love you very much and appreciate every review you leave!

Okay, this is the first time my mother has ever said 'Stop writing and start reading!' She wants the book too XD haha!

Love Chloe xox


	10. Chapter 9

**See You on the Battlefield**

**Chapter Nine**

It took three weeks of prepping for the trip, another thing Duncan found Courtney was useful for. He would never have been able to accomplish all of it on his own, while Courtney did it without any help from him. In fact, they rarely spoke for those few weeks, and when they did it was only to go over the details. Duncan didn't think anything of it, though. His main focus was Stone and the truck. He wasn't used to having to accommodate for two people, and his robot had to be in top condition. Every time Chris had called to schedule a match, Duncan had declined. He didn't want to risk Stone getting into too much trouble and damaging him before the tour even took place.

Gwen and DJ were supportive of his choice to do this. Though Gwen wasn't too happy about it just being him and Courtney. There was a hint of jealousy there, but Duncan didn't detect it. DJ managed to calm her down and convince her that this was what Duncan needed. They would keep in contact over the summer and attend as many matches as they could; that was good enough for the three of them.

It was late one afternoon during the last week of school when Duncan pulled his truck into the Beaumont courtyard. Courtney was standing at the top of the marble steps in sweats and a rangy t-shirt. She had a wide smile in her face-and not a fake, paparazzi smile- something Duncan found she didn't do often. Courtney looked excited for once, which did catch him off guard. A long with the fact she threw her arms around his neck when he approached her. They hadn't even really hugged before. He awkwardly returned it, though, gently patting her back.

"Come on, grab a bag!" She instructed, motioning to the shopping bags on the floor by the door. Courtney moved to yell inside the house to someone as Duncan inspected the bags. There were five in total, heavy in weight and each carrying something Courtney would call a 'necessity', though Duncan would argue no one needed that much shampoo.

A young girl, around their age, appeared in the doorway. Her blonde hair was singing behind her in a ponytail and her olive green eyes searched Duncan up and down. He felt as though he was under inspection as he unlocked the back of the truck for Courtney to put away her stuff.

"Duncan, this is my best friend, Bridgette," Courtney introduced, motioning her hands between them. "Bridgette, this is Duncan." He could see his partner pull a face to her friend as he gave a small wave to the girl. He didn't know what that meant, but he hoped it was good. He didn't want anyone thinking bad of him and changing Courtney's mind about the tour. Duncan may have found the idea crazy at first, but the closer the date to leaving came the more he found himself getting impatient, complaining to Stone that time didn't move fast enough. But here they were, two days before they finished junior year and one week before they left for their first destination.

"Been up too much today?" Bridgette questioned innocently, already gathering her best friends bags from the front door. Courtney had disappeared back inside the house.

Duncan nodded towards the bottom cupboard near the door of the truck; he had cleared it out to make room for Courtney. "Just school," he replied, eyeing up Bridgette's uniform. He knew she had Courtney attended the prep school not too far from the public high school Duncan attended. The uniform consisted of a white collar shirt, a red and black striped tie, red blazer, a pleated skirt with knee high white socks and black flat pumps. Duncan had never complained about seeing the prep girls walking the street after school and he was not when he had one in his truck, either.

Bridgette gave a small looked of surprise at Duncan. She hadn't expected him to be in school, he resized. A lot of people didn't, but he was used to it. It was also clear to him that Bridgette was here to interrogate him. No one trusted him alone with Courtney almost the entire summer- they would be returning one week before school started again.

"You go to Muskoka?" He nodded. Muskoka high school was the only one actually in Muskoka, if you didn't count the two private schools. "Any plans for college?"

"Not really," he answered honestly. "Probably just stick to fighting once I graduate next year." Bridgette nodded her head and from the side view of her face Duncan noted she was the girl who had been calling after Courtney that first night they had met, when she had introduced herself as Kelly Cole. He assumed Bridgette had seen him fighting, though she certainly didn't look very interested in the sport as a whole.

The two moved around in practical silence before Courtney reappeared with drinks. Bridgette kept sneaking glances at Duncan and he wondered if she was interested in him. Courtney slapped him side the head, clearly reading his mind and telling him she had a boyfriend who could knock him on his ass. Duncan just laughed. He didn't want to admit it, but he was getting used to Courtney's company and quite enjoying it. Though she was a stuck-up priss, she was different from DJ and Gwen- his usual company. It had been a long time since anyone else had wanted to be his friend; most avoided him at all costs.

Duncan showed Courtney around the truck and Bridgette nodded her approval. It wasn't the most ideal living space, but it would do. Duncan insisted that Courtney took the bed and he was fine with the work bench, with the added point that every other stop they had Courtney had booked a motel or hotel, a bed and breakfast or just somewhere for them to crash at night and so they could shower and freshen up. She also worried that staying hauled up in the truck for too many hours would rot her brain as it had Duncan's. She wondered when the last time he had lived in a proper house was.

By late afternoon it was just the two them and Stone. Geoff-Bridgette's boyfriend which Duncan agreed probably would knock him on his ass-swung by to drive her home, leaving Duncan and Courtney to occupy them. Courtney went over all of the details of what they would be doing during their summer of touring. She had every detail planned. Every fighting venue booked, every ticket practically sold out. People knew who she was and her name was selling more than Duncan and Stone's fighting. Not that he minded, or paid so much attention to Courtney's ramblings.

Courtney surprised Duncan when she hopped down off the work bench she had been sitting on in the back of the truck and held her hand out to him. Duncan was definitely hesitant to take it, but she pulled a face, urging him to trust her. So he did. And she pulled him through her mansion of a home, not bothering so much with a tour, and into a back room that brought nothing but a genuine smile to her face.

"This is the one place I will miss the most while we're away," she told him, glancing thoughtfully around her office. It was cluttered with all sorts of spare parts for a numerous amount of robots. There were tool lying freely and some placed on designated shelves. The room itself was plain with just a large window on the far side, a small wooden door beside it.

Duncan took a stroll around, admiring the view of the garden and taking in that Courtney had actually spent her life working in this room while he had been raised working in dingy Underworld back rooms. Oh, how the other half lives.

"I come in here to think and just escape." Courtney sighed. Duncan turned to see her running her fingers along a dusty desk. "It's been a long while since I had time to work on a new robot in here. I miss it. Waking up on a Saturday morning and just spending hours and hours toying with all the machinery." Duncan watched as Courtney spoke about her passion. The way her eyes lit up when she thought of a certain memory and the way the corner of her mouth tugged as if she wanted to smile some more but wouldn't allow her to do it, Duncan thought it was cute. Courtney obviously loved robot boxing a lot more than he thought. He assumed it was something she did for money and fame, or felt forced because of her family. But no, she genuinely loved everything about it.

"What's back there?" Duncan asked, nodding his head towards the door he had spotted earlier. Courtney chomped down on her bottom lip. Duncan regretted asking suddenly, but she didn't say anything. In fact, quite to his surprise, she strolled across the room, heaving another sigh. Courtney pulled a key from its resting place above the door frame and stuck it in the lock, turning it twice and sucking in a deep breath.

Upon entering the room Duncan found himself experiencing an emotion he had never felt before. His eyes bulged from his face and he was sure his heart didn't normally beat that fast. He was star struck. Courtney didn't look nearly as impressed, but she's seen it all before. This was how she had been raised. Duncan, on the other hand, had never been so up close to so many league robots at once.

Several glass cases lined the walls, each containing an at least seven foot tall robot. Everyone had a different colour and style; no two were the same when it came down to it. Duncan took in every legendary bot he knew of, naming each and every one of them from memory alone.

In the center of the back wall stood a slightly larger case with a velvet rope to section it off from the others. Forgetting all about Courtney, Duncan moved forward until he was stood as close as he could get without violating the carefully spaced area around it. Never in his whole life did Duncan think he would be able to stand this close to such a boxing legend. At seven and a half feet tall, weighing two hundred pounds and made entirely of black sheet, stood Con. Duncan couldn't believe his eyes. Sure, Stone used to fight at league matches back in his day, but he was nowhere near as well-known as Con was. Con was the robot champion of this generation and every generation to come, as Mr. Beaumont has expressed his want to keep the robot in his family for generations to come. Courtney was less interested in inheriting the robot.

The young girl stood awkwardly behind Duncan. She was used to people fawning over the robot and forgetting we very existence; even her own father did it. Courtney learnt to live with it mostly, but this was Duncan. Duncan was supposed to be her colleague, her ticket to make a name for herself away from the fame of her father. Though she couldn't deny Duncan a chance to see Com up close, she wished he wasn't as interested as he appeared.

"When I first started fighting at Underworld, do you know what people used to whisper about me?" Duncan asked. He was watching Courtney's reflection in Con's glass case, gauging her reaction to his. She didn't look particularly happy, and Duncan understood completely.

Courtney shook her head and he turned to face her, though not meeting her eyes. "They always-always-used to compare me to my father." Duncan swallowed hard. "The amount of time I had to listen to 'he'll never be as good as Parker' or 'why didn't he get Parker's talents?' It was unnerving." Courtney reached her hand out, almost to place it on his arm in comfort, but he stood too far away. "But the worst? They used to compare me to my grandfather. And that always hurt the most. 'Shame he'll never be as great as Joe Wilson.'" Duncan registered Courtney's sharp intake of breath. Even she knew who Joe Wilson was.

Duncan raised his head to finally look at her. He wasn't telling her all of this out of pity or for sympathy. He wanted her to know that she wasn't alone in feeling alienated by the boxing community just because of her family. Duncan came from a well-known family too, and though they come from different ends of the spectrum, he still understood her pain.

"My point is, you've seen the way people at Underworld treat me now." And she had. Courtney had seen everyone there being chummy with him all the time. No one had mentioned his father or grandfather, at least not while Courtney was around. "They learnt to accept me as my own person, I guess. Though I may never be as good as my dad or granddad, I'm still not a bad boxer." He paused for a moment before asking, "Am I?"

Courtney gave the smallest smile and shook her head, whether to answer the question or just because of his way of cheering her up, Duncan didn't know, and he didn't really care. He was just glad that he had made her feel better. He didn't know why, but he hated to see her in any other mood other than happy.

"You know," she spoke in a whisper, moving cautiously towards him "my parents aren't home." Something in Duncan's nether region twitched uncomfortably. "I was wondering if you maybe...want to practice with me."

"P-practice?" He asked, running a shaky hand through his hair.

"Ew!" She swatted his arm. "I meant practice fighting, you perv!" Duncan let out a shaky breath of relief.

"I'm so glad you didn't make do anything uncomfortable there," he teased.

"Oh yeah," Courtney nodded skeptically. "I could see you were feeling very tortured over the idea." She shook her again, this time in almost disbelief. She turned away, grabbing a remote from the table behind her and unlocking all the glass cases with the push if a button, avoiding Duncan's gaze so her checks wouldn't start to give away her embarrassment. "Pick your bot," she said, moving towards once in the corner of the room. The controllers rested beside the cases and shelves and Courtney pressed her fingers to small pad stuck to the wall.

"You mean I don't get to fight my own robot against these things?" Duncan argued, slightly pouting. Courtney rolled her eyes, suppressing a smile at his expense.

"We don't want Stone to get damaged now, do we?" She replied with confidence, adding a quick, "But it's not like he'd stand much of a chance anyway."

Duncan held a hand over his heart, feigning hurt. "Stone could take every robot in this room. TWICE!" Courtney giggled. "And he'd still have room for more!" Another eye roll. "Seriously. After this tour I'm coming back here to prove my point."

Without another word, Duncan moved to the opposite side of the room, going for a slightly smaller bot than she had. He had seen every single one of these robots fighting and would never have even thought that he would get the chance to control one.

Courtney walked Scrap towards the empty back corner of the room. Duncan didn't know what she was up to, but followed behind with his pick, Rucker. She smiled at the robot he chose before turning her back on all three of them. She stuck her hand in the pocket of her sweats and drew out a small credit card like object. She swiped it across what Duncan and assumed a crack in the wall, but it caused the wall to slide in two and a metal elevator showed itself. Courtney continued to walk herself and Scarp on board. Duncan raised an impressed eyebrow and followed suit.

"Six years ago my father had a practice arena installed beneath the house," Courtney told him, breaking the awkward silence that lay between them. "It was somewhere he could fight in private and I've always loved coming down here and watching him and the others."

"Others?"

"His friends, companions, family members that enjoy trying to beat him. They never win." Courtney wasn't sounding so happy anymore. "Me and my brother used to use the room for fun. Not fighting robots, usually pretending we were robots and fighting each other." She sounded happier. Duncan looked across the two hunks of metal at her. There was another small smile on her face once again.

"I didn't know you had a brother," Duncan noted. As an only child Duncan had always grown up feeling as if he was missing out.

Courtney nodded in reply, but didn't say anything else. Duncan sensed there was tension in that department of Courtney's life. There was a lot of tension in a lot of her life, but she hid it well. When he first met Courtney-or even Kelly-he would never had guessed there was so much going on beneath the surface of the paparazzi smile.

The elevator came to a halt and Courtney stepped out first. Scrap followed her, but she didn't turn to look at him. She knew how to move a robot without even looking at them, that was how practiced she was. Duncan could do it with Stone, but with a new robot he made sure to walk him out first.

They both stepped their robots into the arena and took their respective spaces on either side of the ring. And they began.

They didn't keep count of how long the match went on, neither seemed to care. They were both enjoying just trying to pin the other. Courtney had the upper hand through most of the match, though. She could swing and side-step better than he could; however Duncan was better at pinning and getting Scrap to the floor. But, just as he thought he was winning, Scrap's leg swung out and Rucker landed with a crunch with his left arm. Duncan frantically pressed buttons, commanding him to get up, but to no avail.

"That was dirty!" He yelled over Courtney's countdown.

"Six, seven, eight."

"That's totally unfair!

"Nine!"

"I thought this was a league fight! That's illegal!"

"TEN! I WON! I ACTUALLY WON!"

Courtney's cheering was overridden by the loud, echoing clapping. Standing high above the arena in the balcony stood Mr. Beaumont dressed in a tailored business suit, watching the match as it came to a close.

"D-Daddy," Courtney managed to stutter as Duncan stood in shock. "We were-we were just-" Mr. Beaumont held his hands up to silence his daughter.

"Don't worry; I'm just here to announce that dinner is being served shortly." Courtney nodded her head, wanting to apologize for breaking Rucker's arm and using his robots without permission, but she held her tongue. It was not the right time for that. "Duncan, I do hope you will be joining us."

"I-uh...yeah. Sure. Um, okay." Duncan didn't know how to react to the sudden offer, but he knew better than to turn down Mr. Beaumont.

"Excellent." He clapped his hands once and turned to leave the two alone, but stopped last moment to speak directly to Courtney. "Oh, and Daniel's here."

A/N: Oh wow...

WHO'S DANIEL?!

Wait and find out ;)

Also, I thought this was as fluffy as DxC are gonna be getting for now, and I thought it was quite cute, actually! But maybe that's just me...I'd probably still find this couple cute if they committed homicide...XD

Sorry for the wait on this, too...I actually haven't done a lot of writing! I was so fucking hung up on Light! My heart still isn't healed...Probably never will be...But I'm willing to get back into writing and reading other things now :D

I have the beginning of the next chapter sort of sorted out in my head, but IDK when I'll write it! I don't wanna make any promises and I hope to make it as soon as possible!

Thank you to;

MeAndYouForeverBaby: Aw, you're such a sweet person XD Thank you :D

ThatSuperHotSexyBookWorm: haha! Well, sleeping and eating all sound so good to me right now...Thanks :D

acosta perez jose ramiro: I do like Mr. Beaumont's character, I hope to have some more scenes with him in (: Thank you :D

You guys RAWK!  
I love ya'll ever so very much!

Thanks for reading, please review (:

Spellchecked by Word because my beta *cough* MADDISON! *cough* may have a broken wrist...

Love, ChloeRhiannonX


	11. Chapter 10

**See You The Battlefield**

**Chapter Ten: Family Business**

Courtney tensed, and she didn't un-tense as far as Duncan could see. Not when she appointed him in charge of putting the robots back and not when she announced to him that she needed to find something more suitable to wear to dinner. She quickly left the training area through a door he hadn't seen there, leaving Duncan alone. He hasn't seen her so panicky since the night he had found out she was Kelly Cole.

Somehow the young man managed to get the two robots back by himself, sneaking in a quick admiration of Con for the last time. Courtney's did as she said and met him in her office, though not without leaving him waiting for an extra ten minutes. She was dressed in a navy summer dress, showing off her curves and flashing skin in all the right places.

Duncan cleared his throat and she stopped chomping on her nail. He tried to get her attention back to him, but Courtney was worked up about something that he couldn't quite understand. Whoever this Daniel person was, Courtney clearly had a negative effect to him.

"You look okay," she mumbled, running her hands down the front of his t-shirt. It was one of his nicer ones, a simple plain black shirt. He always sported dark washed jeans that Courtney scanned her eyes over. His sneakers were a bit ratty, but that didn't bother her so much. "Yeah, you look okay." But her voice was distant. Duncan grabbed hold of her shoulders, running friendly hands down over her forearms. He tried looking her in the eyes, but she was now chewing on her bottom lip. He ran his finger along her mouth, unclenching her two front teeth before they could draw blood.

"What's wrong?" He asked, genuine concern in his voice. If she hadn't been such a nervous wreck Courtney would have accused him of going soft on her.

"You'll see," she replied, grabbing his hand in hers and tugging him towards another part of the house he hadn't seen before. He was quite glad that he had Courtney to guide him, otherwise Duncan would never find the exit- and he feared he may need one after this family dinner.

Courtney stopped outside a pair of large, oak doors. They looked more carefully polished than the rest of the house, or maybe just not as worn. The young girl smoothed out her companions shirt once again, her trebling hands then doing the same to her own dress; anything to stall time. Courtney knew she couldn't put this off forever, but the moment she pushed her way into the dining room, Duncan hot on her trail, she wished she had run in the opposite direction.

"Baby sis!" An all too familiar voice called to her. She found the owner stood in the corner by the built in bar, no doubt refilling his wine glass. "Long time no see," he cracked a wide grin at her amusement.

"Hello, Daniel," she curtly replied. Courtney ushered Duncan over to the opposite side of the table. She took place to the right of her father who sat at the head of the table, and Duncan took place to her right. Daniel found himself situated opposite Duncan, much to both of their dismay. As soon as they'd locked eyes there was an uncertain air passed between them. Duncan was shocked to find just how much Daniel looked like Courtney. They shared all the same facial features, which they had both inherited from their mother (who sat opposite her daughter, to her husband's left). They shared the same brown hair that didn't hold a curl to its name. The only real difference other than gender was that Courtney had inherited her mother's darker skin, while Daniel's wasn't as tanned.

"How did the training go?" Mr. Beaumont questioned his daughter as the five sat in uncomfortable silence, waiting for their food to arrive.

"It went well," Courtney quietly replied, her eyes not leaving her brother. Duncan sensed the thick atmosphere surrounding the family, but didn't say anything out of turn. He didn't say anything at all; he let Courtney do all the talking. "I think we're going to be very well prepared for all of the upcoming matches."

"You two working together now?" Daniel questioned, his shifty eyes moving between the two teenagers, trying to decipher what was going on between them. Courtney glared at her brother, but neither parent scolded them for it. "You don't go messing with my baby sister, alright?"

"Daniel," Courtney hissed through clenched teeth, her hand unconsciously slipping into Duncan's.

"I don't intend to," Duncan replied coolly, unfazed by the 'big brother' act Daniel was putting on. He squeezed Courtney's hand.

"You hurt her, make her cry, force into anything she doesn't want to do," Daniel made a slicing movement with his hand across his throat. "You're a dead man." The younger male raised an eyebrow at the strange threat. Daniel was definitely built for fighting, but he didn't seem to know so much about the talking aspect. Duncan suspected he wasn't as big of a man as he made out to be, but he kept his lips button tightly just in case he said something out of line.

"Daniel, that is enough," Mrs Beaumont spoke up for the first time. Duncan was surprised to find she had a thick Spanish accent. "Leave the poor boy alone, he has done nothing wrong and is taking good care of your sister."

"Thank you, Mama," Courtney mumbled. Duncan suspected if she had been a few years younger it would have been followed by a stick out of the tongue to her brother.

It was almost a relief when dinner showed up. It wasn't as elegant as Duncan had been expecting, even though it had been brought in by staff (which Duncan had never experienced before). He still felt out of place, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. Courtney curled her long fingers around his knee without drawing attention to either of them. Duncan felt reassured.

Mr. Beaumont sat at the head of the table, watching his family bicker amongst themselves. He didn't get involved or intervene in the arguments between his two children. Duncan found it strange behavior that he let his son talk without punishment, especially the words he was saying. It was mostly Mrs. Beaumont who warmed her son that he was treading in dangerous water by trying to anger his sister and her new business partner.

The meal couldn't finish fast enough. It was an obvious fact to everyone that no one wanted to be there, so the second the plates were cleared Courtney excused herself and Duncan. She dragged him from the dining room and out to the court yard where they had started their day. They sat in the back to the truck and Courtney couldn't stop apologizing for her family's behavior.

"I am so sorry for my brother and his asshole behavior."

"I knew it was a mistake."

"As soon as he said Daniel was here I knew I should have just told you to leave."

I am so sorry my brother said all of those things to you."

"I know you have good intentions."

"Why are you rolling your eyes at me?"

"Stop laughing!"

Duncan couldn't hide his grin and Courtney rushed through her words. He may not have overly enjoyed dinner, but he certainly wasn't regretting it. It had been such a long time since he had sat down for a family meal that he had almost forgotten all of the baggage that came with it. There was always someone with something to say. Arguments were easily erupted. But Duncan missed it.

Courtney fell forward her forehead resting into Duncan's shoulder. He was sitting on the workbench again. He didn't know how to respond to Courtney's sudden change in demeanor and was tempted to wrap his arms around her in a hug. Instead Duncan settled for lightly patting her back. Slowly she raised her head back up, her eyes searching the truck for a change of topic. Her eyes rested on the picture by the door. It had caught her eye the first time she had been in the truck, but she had never really stopped to look at it.

"That's your father?" She asked and she could see Duncan nod from her peripheral vision. "And your grandfather?" He nodded again. Courtney walked forward and ran her fingers over the ratty picture. Compared to the rest of the truck it was in pretty good condition, but it was certainly weathered in the worst way. This was Joe and Parker Wilson. Joe Wilson was a very familiar name to Courtney. He had won so many championships and league matches. He was a celebrity in the world of robot boxing. She had never known what he looked like, never bothered to search. His reign was long before her time. Parker Wilson wasn't a name she was familiar with, but judging by the way her father recognized his son, he must have been as great as his own father. "Why do you live alone in your truck?" The question had been on her mind for as long as she had known Duncan now.

Instead of answering, Duncan replied with his own question. "Can I take you somewhere?" To Duncan this was a slow decent into trusting Courtney. She was his sort-of friend and he wanted to see how much he could tell her without giving it all away. Not even Gwen or DJ knew too much about what happened to Duncan's family. Everyone was too afraid to ask him.

Courtney didn't bother telling her family where she was going, they'd work out she was with Duncan and that was all they needed to know after the performance at dinner. It felt good to get the topic off her family. Courtney wasn't a family girl. Her family frustrated her to no end. Her brother had moved out years ago now and both of her parents were rarely home. She hadn't had much time to build a stable relationship with any of them over the last few years. Daniel never talked to her and the only thing she still had with her father was robot boxing, though even that relationship was dwindling.

Duncan seemed to know where he was going so Courtney didn't question it. When he pulled up to Rose Cross hospital twenty minutes later Courtney began to question what he was doing.

"What are we doing here?" Courtney asked.

"Answering your question."

Rose Cross was a nursing home.

The teenage boy entered the facility with confidence. His head was held high, owning the ground he treaded on. His companion, who usually walked with the same certainty as he was now, moved shyly behind him. Courtney wasn't quite sure what was going on. She had never been to Rose Cross or any nursing home. She didn't have anyone to visit. She was surprised that Duncan did.

As soon as they were over the threshold of the home a nurse behind the counter gasped Duncan's name, a bright smile on her face. She rushed through the door and into the foyer, resting a hand on either of Duncan's arms, engaging him in conversation.

"It's been so long; how've you been?" The middle aged woman asked, not letting go of him. Courtney shifted uncomfortably behind the two. She was used to having people all over her the way this woman was all over Duncan; as if she was famous (which she sort of was) and that they were excited to be in her presence.

"I'm good," Duncan replied, a shy smile on his face. He hadn't been expecting this much attention when he arrived. "This is my friend Courtney." He gestured behind him. "We thought we'd come see how he's doing." The nurse smiled fondly at Courtney, acknowledging her for the first time.

"I'm sure he'll be thrilled to see you." The nurse continued to talk to Duncan for a little while before pointing him down the corridor to her right. She seemed friendly enough, but also totally oblivious to her surroundings. Like the fact there was an old man wandering helplessly behind her. Courtney wanted to help him, but she knew it wasn't her place (nor did she know what she would have done with him).

Duncan grabbed Courtney's hand for reassurance, pulling her down a few sanitized hallways. They smelt suspiciously like a dentist's office, the scent of latex gloves strangely overwhelming. Duncan didn't seem affected, but it took everything Courtney had not to gag. She was still confused as to why they were in this building to begin with, and Duncan wasn't offering any insight. That was until they stopped outside a green painted door with the number 308 scrawled on the wall beside it.

"I'm asking you not to judge and just hear me out when I talk." Courtney nodded her head. She wasn't going to judge. Especially after Duncan had made it through dinner with the family and not judged her for their actions. Duncan, taking Courtney's nod as a good sign, gave a quick rasp on the door before pushing it open and sticking his head inside. There was a sound from inside that Courtney couldn't decipher, but Duncan chuckled. He pushed the door open a bit wider, wide enough for them to both enter before he shut it again.

The room was fairly sized and painted a fresh spring green, with a makeshift kitchen to the right of the door; a 90 degree counter that held a microwave, toaster and kettle and hid a trash can and mini-fridge beneath as well as a single cupboard. There was a square table and two chairs sat a meter away. In the far corner was a twin sized bed, the covers made up tightly, and in the opposite corner, across from the door, was a small lounge area with a sofa against the back wall and a TV set against the adjacent wall Next to the television set was a door that led to a small en suite bathroom. Opposite the TV was an ageing armchair that was occupied by an elderly man with greying hair and finely pressed clothes. He had what Courtney could assume was a smile on his face. His eyes definitely had a shine to them and the longer he looked at Duncan the brighter they got. It was upon closer inspection that Courtney noted they were the same shade of blue as Duncan's.

"Gramps, I wanted you to meet a friend of mine," Duncan turned to Courtney, taking her hand in his again so he could pull her forward, closer to him as he approached the old man. 'This is Courtney Beaumont. She's my new fighting partner. Courtney, this is my grandfather, Joe Wilson." Courtney fought to stifle a gasp. "She's a big fan, Gramps, impress her," Duncan added with a wink. Joe let out a throaty chuckle, extending a hand to the young girl in front of him.

"It's an honor to meet you, sir." Courtney was beaming with disbelief. This was a robot boxing legend sitting in front of her, and she was getting to have a one-on-one conversation with him! She mirrored his extended hand and Joe took it, placing it to his mouth for a chaste, yet slightly slopping kiss.

"'ou too," he slurred, releasing Courtney's hand and letting it swing back down to her side. Courtney noticed that the left side of his mouth remained almost completely still when he spoke. Paralyzed.

Duncan motioned for Courtney to take a seat on the couch and she did so eagerly. She was still in shock at finally meeting the Joe Wilson. Though it had been a long time since he had retired from robot boxing, his legacy forever loved on in league boxing. This is what made Courtney so dazed by the fact she hadn't heard of Parker or Duncan Wilson before; the remaining legacy of a great era. No one seemed to mention that Stone had been passed on down the generation line (though Courtney felt silly for not having made the robot name connection sooner than she did).

"Why don't you tell her some old war stories, Gramps?" Duncan suggested, rummaging around the fridge. "I'm sure Courtney would love to hear some."

"If you don't mind, sir," Courtney added politely. Hearing stories from the legendary man himself was not something Courtney wanted to pass up. So that was how she spent the evening. Joe told many stories to the two of them-though his grandson had heard them before-all of his days as a professional league boxer. He stumbled over a few words and repeated sentences up to four times before continuing on and Duncan did have to translate a bit and occasionally butt in and say 'No Gramps, it's the Green Fights, not the Mean Kites', but Courtney listened intently to everything he had to say, hanging onto every word and wishing she had been there to witness the glory firsthand.

By the end of the night Duncan was joking about the Instagram pic Courtney had been determined to get. He loved seeing her so excited over something so simple. Then again, this must have been the way she had viewed things when Duncan saw all of the robots lined up earlier that day. Even when Courtney excused herself to the bathroom before they left, Duncan was still smiling from the buzz in the air. His grandfather lifted an eyebrow at him.

"See's pity," he said, nodding his dad towards the bathroom door.

"She's too young for you," Duncan joked, to which Joe attempted to roll his eyes. Courtney reappeared before either could say anymore to each other. They said their farewells and Duncan promised to visit more when they came back from tour.

The two teenagers found themselves sitting in the back of the truck again. The air between them was clearer now than it had been before, as if an invisible blanket that had once been suffocating them had been removed. They both felt at ease. Duncan lounged on his bed while Courtney studied the picture of the Wilson men again. Joe had definitely changed a lot in the last few years. Something had changed him and he had aged overnight. Courtney feared the worst when Duncan began telling her the story.

"It was almost five years ago, now." Duncan swallowed hard at the memory, his eyes closing and his head lolling back on his pillow. "It wasn't a particularly bad day, but the road was icy. We were driving back from dinner. Dad was driving, Gramps was in the passenger seat, I was behind him and Marley was sitting in the back with me. We'd been celebrating, just the four of us. Dad had finally proposed to Marley and I was so...happy." Courtney didn't want to interrupt the story and she couldn't face him as he told it. The pain in his voice was clear enough. "We were laughing and joking. We didn't even see the land rover skid towards us. Next thing I know I wake up in hospital. Alone. The nurse told me I was the only survivor and I just broke." And his voice mimicked the word. Duncan swallowed back the tears, determined to tell the story. "She had been misinformed. Gramps had survived with head trauma while I had a few broken ribs and minor surgery on my leg. But the other car had impacted the right side of our car. Dad and Marley were killed instantly." Courtney lifted her head to comfort Duncan, but he wasn't finished yet. "Then Gramps got too stressed out and suffered two stroked, the second leaving him semi-paralyzed on his left side and suffering with aphasia. Some days are horrible to witness; I think we're lucky we caught him on one of his better days." Courtney took a seat on the bed next to Duncan. "From then on I was bounced from foster family to foster family. I used to spend all of my spare time at Rose Cross, that's why the nurses knew me so well. Then when I was fifteen Gramps gave me the keys to his truck and...And I found Stone. He wanted me to take care of him and that's what I've been doing ever since. I got emancipated last year and now I live in my truck to be closer to the only family I have left."

"Where's your..."

"Real mother?" He questioned, his voice wobbling. "Walked out when I was three. I don't remember her at all. Didn't have any way to contact her, grandma had passed away three years before the accident and with Gramps unable to care for me, I became another number on the social system."

Courtney didn't know how to comfort Duncan, so she decided on lying down beside him and wrapping her arm tightly across his chest. They weren't close friends when the day started, but in that moment Courtney knew she was closer to him than anyone else. It took. Lot of courage and effort to tell that story and Courtney could feel his chest shaking beside her as Duncan choked back sobs.

"My parents don't love each other." She wasn't sure what forced her to say it, but the words were out of her mouth before she could stop it. Courtney bit her tongue for a moment, but Duncan tilted his head in encouragement. Courtney sucked in a deep breath and pushed her face into Duncan's side before continuing. "My parents don't love each other," she repeated. "They never have. When they were teenagers they used each other for arm candy and that just sort of kept going through the years. They don't despise each other, but they're barely even friends." Courtney was thinking back to her family now and it was painful. Duncan could feel her body tighten as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders in comfort. "My brother was an accident- the first one, at least. My parents loved him, none the less, but he was always so rebellious. They didn't know how to deal with him. When he was eight my parents got drunk one night and...Accident number two. Me. I know they loved me too and I always tried my best to be perfect for them...but I wasn't. I was trying to be perfect to fit into my 'perfect' family, but I never realised we weren't perfect, we only pretended to be. That was until I caught my mother in bed with another man." Duncan closed his eyes, his hand unconsciously rubbing circles in Courtney's back. She took it as a sign if comfort and encouragement. "I learnt that both my parents were having affairs with pretty much anyone that wasn't each other. It hurt at first, but I think I just learnt to accept it. I never told anyone. I just kept pretending to be perfect..."

They stayed in silence for a long while, both taking in the others heavy secrets. The burdens were slightly lifted now. They didn't have to carry around memories that would hurt them by themselves; they had each other to lean on for support. They still weren't exactly friends, but this made it easier on them to be travel together over the next few weeks. This was the beginning of trust.

* * *

A/N: Aww…

I know it's been a long time since I updated! But I have been working on it, I swear! I got a major case of writers block like halfway through the family dinner, but the other day I had a brain wave and I've been writing and rewriting ever since!

This is also 3,917 (without the AN) words long…..My average chapter length is 2000 words. That's a lot extra for your reading pleasure!

So, how is everyone? Did ya'll enjoy this chapter? I wasn't going to reveal the family secrets until a later date, but I felt it fitted into this chapter quite nicely.

I don't know how many chapters are left of this story. Every time I think about it the number changes. Sometimes I don't think I'll make it to 15, other times it goes up to 20 or so. So just keep in mind it may or may not be coming to an end very soon XD

Thank you to;

SkorpionQueen012: That demon voice definitely added to the dramatic effect there XD Thank you :D

acosta perez jose ramiro: I try to keep it interesting and I do love cliffhangers. Ya know, as long as I'm the one writing them XD Thanks :D

Guest: I'm glad you like this story (: I hope I can continue it! Thank you :D

ThatSuperHotSexyBookWorm: Fluff is adorable ^^ I hope Daniel met all of your expectations! Thanks :D

Kidstandout: Well, my DxC fics are always here for your viewing, they ain't going anywhere =P haha, yeah, that's the movie that this is based off XD I loved it so much that I had to write my own story about it! Thank you :D

You guys are amazing! I love all of you!

Thanks for reading, please review (:

I also do realise I named this chapter and haven't named any others...I just felt like naming it.

Love, ChloeRhiannonX


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